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When the seventeenth Indian Premier League (IPL) begins later this month, Rishabh Pant is expected to make his eagerly awaited comeback to competitive cricket.
The 2024 Indian Premier League is set to begin play on March 22. This year’s edition of the league will be particularly memorable for the wicketkeeper-batsman, as it will be his first time playing for over a year.
Since December 2022, Rishabh Pant has not participated in a competitive game due to injury sustained in a terrible vehicle accident.
His injuries required several surgeries, but he is now cleared to resume his activities. He has already begun taking part in practice matches at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
He is expected to be cleared by the NCA on Tuesday, March 5, to report to the Delhi Capitals camp in anticipation of the 2024 Indian Premier League.
And during a practice match on Monday, he demonstrated that he is healthy and ready to go by hitting his signature one-handed six.
It has already been stated by Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal that Rishabh Pant will lead the team in addition to playing in the IPL in 2024.
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Jindal also revealed in an interview conducted last month that the top batter would be limited to playing in the first half of the season.
“Rishabh is batting.. He is sprinting. He has begun to take wickets. He’ll probably be ready for the IPL. Rishabh will lead from match one in the IPL, as I am anticipating him to play.
We will only use him as a batsman for the first seven games, and then we’ll decide whether to play him for the remainder of the IPL based on how his body responds, Jindal told ESPNcricinfo.
With their skipper back, Delhi Capitals will be hopeful that things improve for them.
In Rishabh Pant’s absence the previous season, David Warner captained the squad but was unable to lead them to the postseason.
Delhi, with just five victories from 14 games, came in at ninth place. On March 23, the Delhi-based team will play the Punjab Kings in the IPL 2024 first round.
