IPL 2024: Delhi Capitals announce Rishabh Pant as skipper ahead of new season

Delhi Capitals on Tuesday announced Rishabh Pant as their skipper ahead of the Indian Premier League 2024 season. Pant returns to the competition after a year’s absence, having missed the entire IPL in 2023 due to a horrific car crash in December 2022. “Rishabh Pant will captain Delhi Capitals in the upcoming edition of Indian Premier League. The wicketkeeper-batter is making a return to professional cricket after 14 months, and has been a part of the Delhi Capitals pre-season preparatory camp in Vizag,” Delhi Capitals said in a statement.

“We are delighted to welcome Rishabh back as our Captain. Grit and fearlessness have always dictated his brand of cricket, and not surprisingly, even his road to recovery. I can’t wait to see him walk our team out once again as we look forward to a new season with renewed passion, vigour and enthusiasm," DC chairman and co-owner Parth Jindal.

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COMEBACK DONE 👉🏼 NOW WELCOME BACK, CAPTAIN RISHABH PANT 💙❤️#YehHaiNayiDilli #IPL2024 pic.twitter.com/wN7xDgLW31

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) March 19, 2024

Earlier, Pant was given clearance by the BCCI to play as a wicketkeeper batter in this year’s IPL.

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“After undergoing an extensive 14-month rehab and recovery process, following a life-threatening road mishap on December 30, 2022, near Roorkee, Uttarakhand, Rishabh Pant has now been declared fit as a wicket-keeper batter for the upcoming IPL 2024,” the board had stated in a medical update.

Delhi head coach Ricky Ponting too had given a thumbs-up for the way Pant was playing at nets during the team’s camp.

“We missed him incredibly last year. The whole tournament missed him. Rishabh brings so much energy to the team. He’s got that smile on his face, he’s hitting the ball as good as ever and he tends to lift all of his teammates around him,” said Ponting.

Last year’s Australian veteran David Warner had led the Capitals and they finished ninth in the 10-team league with five wins and nine loses ahead of Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Delhi Capitals begin the new IPL season with an away game against Punjab Kings on Saturday (23 March).

With PTI inputs