Indian wicketkeeper-batter is reportedly set to make a comeback to competitive cricket in the upcoming season of Indian Premier League (IPL) for Delhi Capitals. Pant has been out of action since fatal car accident in Delhi-Dehradun highway on December 1, 2023.
Rishabh Pant suffered injuries on his hand, head, knee and back due to car crash. The 29-year-old was taken to nearby hospital before shifting to Max Hospital in Dehradun. Then, Pant was airlifted to Mumbai for his knee surgery at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital.
Rishabh Pant underwent rehabilitation at National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and made significant progress in recovery. Delhi Capitals skipper would use social media to update fans about his recovery process. Recently, Pant shared a video on Instagram where he was running at NCA, giving a hint of his return to competitive cricket soon.
As per the report by Cricbuzz, Rishabh Pant has shown significant promise in his recovery since fatal car crash, stiputaling his possible return to competitive cricket through IPL 2024 for Dellhi Capitals. The report added that the Delhi-born batter has been playing warm-up match in Alur, near Bengaluru as part of his preparation for return to action after being on the sidelines for over a year.
Rishabh Pant won't be wicketkeeping in IPL 2024
As per the report, Rishabh Pant is poised to make a comeback in IPL as batter and captain for Delhi Capitals as the team management is likely to pick designated wicketkeeper for the entire season of IPL 2024.
In the absence of Rishabh Pant, Abhishek Porel and Sarfaraz Khan kept the wickets for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024. The 26-year-old's return to IPL 2024 will be big boost for the Delhi-based team as they finished ninth in the league stage and failed to qualify for the playoffs under the leadership of David Warner in last IPL season.
The sources in BCCI and Delhi Capitals confirmed that Rishabh Pant is running with agility and freedom as before the fatal car crash in January 2023, that kept him away from cricket for 15 months.
The report also suggested that Rishabh Pant went to London for the treatment last month, arranged by BCCI.
