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The wait for Rishabh Pant’s comeback to competitive cricket is nearing its end as the wicketkeeper-batsman is set to feature in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Delhi Capitals (DC).
Pant suffered a brutal car accident in December 2022 which saw him being sidelined from action for nearly 15 months.
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The 26-year-old has been undergoing his rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore and reports suggest that Pant has been cleared fully fit by the NCA ahead of IPL 2024.
However, DC coach Ricky Ponting is still not absolutely sure about what role Pant would play for the franchise in the brand-new edition of IPL.
MORE: Rishabh Pant IPL team, stats, history, schedule
What did Ricky Ponting say about the role of Rishabh Pant for DC in IPL 2024?
The former Australian captain spoke to Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review, where he spoke about the plans regarding how Pant would be utilised in IPL 2024.
It’s a big decision we’ll have to make because if he is fit, you’d think he’d step straight back into that captaincy role. If he’s not entirely fit and we have to use him in a slightly different role, then we’ve got some decisions to make there.
He’s actually played some practice matches over the last couple of weeks, which has been really encouraging for us.
I know he’s worked incredibly hard on his body and his fitness to get back to the level that he’s at now. He’s kept in one of those games, he’s fielded in these games and the batting hasn’t seemingly been an issue for him so far.
We’ve obviously had worries and concerns that he might not have made it in time to be ready for the IPL this year. I mean, he was a huge loss for us last year and what he went through, we can’t even begin to describe what he’s been through the last 12 or 14 months.
Ponting also said that he doesn’t want Pant to tinker with his playing style after missing a long time away from the pitch.
I’m very hopeful, not from a selfish point of view as the coach of the Delhi Capitals, but I want to see him back playing cricket again.
I think he’ll just go out there and certainly, that’s my job anyway – I’ll be telling him to go back out and play the way that he’s always played and I think if he does that, I think the game will come back to him a bit quicker. If he goes out there and tries to find his way and get back into the groove, I think it might take him a little bit longer.
But at the end of the day, that’s what these practice games now have been for, that’s what the camp has been for, for us to get his skills and his mindset back into a place where he can just go out and play the way that he’s always played.
When are Delhi Capitals playing their first game in IPL 2024?
Delhi Capitals will kick off their campaign against Punjab Kings on March 23 at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali.
