IPL 2024: Rishabh Pant Appointed As the Captain of Delhi Capitals

Rishabh Pant has been officially appointed as the captain of Delhi Capitals for the Indian Premier League  2024 edition. As announced by the franchise, Pant will take over the charge from David Warner, who captained Delhi Capitals in IPL 2023. 

The comeback man Rishabh Pant is officially announced to lead Delhi Capitals for the upcoming season of Tata IPL starting from 22 March. The left-handed wicketkeeper batter is returning to professional cricket after 14 months and has the team’s pre-season preparatory camp in Vizag. The team is all set for their opening clash against Punjab Kings in Mohali on March 23. 

On December 30, 2022, Rishabh Pant suffered a major car accident while driving towards his home in Roorkee. He was sent to Mumbai for additional care and treatment soon after he was brought to the nearby hospital. He got severe injuries in right knee alignment, hand, wrists, ankle, and back and some marks on his forehead and face, which forced him to step back from international cricket for more than 14 months. He even expressed his disappointment for not being able to participate in last year’s ICC World Cup 2023. After discharge from the hospital, he participated in a rehabilitation programme at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). 

He didn’t participate in last year’s IPL, too, and in his absence, David Warner led the team in the 2023 IPL. Unfortunately, the team didn’t perform well, with 5 wins and 9 losses, and finished at number 9 on the table, just above Sunrisers Hyderabad. The absence of Rishabh Pant as a batter and captain was clearly visible in Delhi Capital’s performance last year. Even the head Coach of Delhi Capitals, Ricky Ponting, gave a statement: 

We missed Rishabh badly last year. The whole tournament missed his presence. He always  got that big smile on his face, he hit the ball all over the park, and he tried to motivate all of his teammates around him,

A Comeback To Remember 

After 14 months of rehab, recovery and rigorous training, Rishabh Pant has been officially declared fit by the Board of Control For Cricket (BCCI). This news came as a treat for the fans and Delhi capital franchise as everybody wants to see Pant back in action, along with the role of Captaining his side. Since Pant started recovering, he has continuously updated his fitness journey on social media platforms. Moreover, he has been practising batting and wicket-keeping for the last few months at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. 

Celebrating Pant’s return, Delhi Capitals Chairman and co-owner said that Pant has shown a lot of dedication and grit throughout this period of 14 months. It has not been easy, but we are happy he is back and ready to take his side from where he left in 2022. He further added,  I’m excited to watch him lead our team to victory once more as we eagerly anticipate a new season filled with increased fervour, energy, and enthusiasm

Statistics of Rishabh Pant’s IPL Career 

Left-handed Wicket-Keeper Batter

Ipl Debut: 2016