IPL 2024: Rishabh Pant makes a quiet comeback with bat on return to competitive cricket after 453 days | – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper Rishabh Pant on Saturday made a highly-anticipated comeback to competitive cricket in his side’s IPL opener against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) after a 453-day hiatus. India’s wicketkeeper-batter was ‘really emotional’ ahead of his return to the field for the first time since a horror car crash in December 2022.

“Really emotional time for me,” Pant said at the toss after Delhi were put into bat first at Mullanpur.

“Just want to enjoy the moment.”After DC were put into bat, Pant came out at the No. 4 slot for his side, scoring a quiet 13-ball 18 before falling to Harshal Patel in the 13th over of the innings. During his stay in the middle, Pant cracked a couple of boundaries and looked in good touch. Unfortunately, he was deceived by a Harshal slower bouncer and ramped it straight into the hands of Jonny Bairstow at backward point.Pant endured a harrowing accident in December 2022 when his Mercedes SUV careened off the road in the Delhi-Dehradun highway near Roorkee border in the early hours. The vehicle collided with a crash barrier, flipped, and erupted into flames, resulting in multiple injuries for the cricketer.Emergency responders quickly moved Pant to a nearby hospital, after which they airlifted him to Mumbai for specialized medical care and surgical procedures.Also Read: How to watch IPL 2024 live in USA, Canada and MENA regionFollowing the accident, Pant embarked on an intensive rehabilitation regimen to address the array of injuries sustained. These included a damaged ligament in his right knee, injuries to his wrist and ankle, along with abrasions on his back.As a consequence of his incapacitation, Pant relinquished his role as the skipper of the Delhi Capitals, with the position subsequently assumed by David Warner of Australia.Under Warner’s leadership, the team’s performance saw a decline, culminating in a ninth-place finish in the league table among the ten participating teams.Delhi have never won an IPL title since the inception of the league in 2008. Pant, an attacking left-hand batsman, has played 129 internationals for India across three formats, scoring 4,123 runs, including six centuries.