 "Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant gets Punjab Kings keeper-batter Jitesh Sharma stumped off Kuldeep Yadav's bowling. Sportzpics")
Though he didn’t quite fire with the bat as he would’ve liked on his big return to competitive cricket after more than a year, Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant did manage to effect a superb stumping during their opening game of IPL 2024 against Punjab Kings on Saturday.
Pant walked out to lead the Capitals in his first appearance in a major cricketing fixture since surviving a car accident in December 2022. His “emotional” comeback however, was somewhat dampened as he was dismissed for a modest score of 18 off 13 deliveries , with Delhi later failing to defend their 174-run total and beginning the season with a defeat.
Read | Pant returns, Curran steals game away and more moments from PBKS vs DC
There were doubts over whether Pant could keep wickets in the 17th season of the cash-rich league even if he had received clearance from the BCCI, and some expected the 26-year-old to play purely as a batter. Whatever little doubts fans were beginning to have with regards to his skills as a keeper would’ve been dispelled with his superb stumping of his PBKS counterpart Jitesh Sharma off Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling.
Watch the dismissal here:
Pant managed to break the stumps despite collecting the ball at an awkward angle after Jitesh missed the ball completely while attempting a reverse sweep off left-arm spinner Kuldeep. Jitesh’s front foot, which became his back foot thanks to the unconventional shot, was found to be well outside the crease at the time of the bails coming off.
Impact Shorts
View AllThe dismissal brought Delhi back into the contest with Punjab losing their fourth wicket with 100 on the board after being set 175 to win. However, a solid partnership ensued between Englishmen Sam Curran (63) and Liam Livingstone (38 not out), worth 67 off 42 deliveries that put the Kings within touching distance of the finish line.
Despite some last-minute drama with Khaleel Ahmed removing Curran and Shashank Singh in successive deliveries, Punjab managed to reach home with four wickets and as many deliveries to spare.