Indian Premier League (IPL) team Delhi Capitals' (DC) director Sourav Ganguly provided a major update on the return of Rishabh Pant who has been sidelined since December 2022 following a nasty car accident.
Pant has been undergoing treatment of many injuries he suffered during the deadly car crash. It took him 40 days to start walking again after the car crash but he is getting better now.
Just this week, Pant joined his DC teammates during the side's training and Ganguly has just confirmed that the wicketkeeper batter could be back for IPL season 17.
"He's (Pant) good now. He will play in the IPL next season," Ganguly told reporters at the camp.
"Rishabh won't be practising here though. There's still time for him to get down to practice. By January (2024), he'll get even better," Ganguly further said.
“We were talking about the team. He is the captain, so he put in his views regarding the upcoming auction. That's the reason he has come here, to finalise certain aspects related to the team.”
Under his absence, Australia's David Warner led DC in IPL 2023 as the team finished second last in the points table.
Pant played his last international match in December 2022 during the second Test between India and Bangladesh in Mirpur.
He was replaced by Ishan Kishan in T20Is as a wicketkeeper while in 50-over cricket, KL Rahul took over his role and has been playing since then.
It must be noted that Pant was one of the most important players of the Indian cricket team prior to the car crash across all formats. He captained India's T20I side against South Africa in June 2022 and was also named in the Men's Test Team of the Year 2021 for his fantastic performances throughout the year.
- Rishabh Pant
