Rishabh Pant back to fitness, to play IPL

India Test wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has been declared fit and will feature in the upcoming 2024 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Delhi Capitals. 

Pant, who suffered a life-threatening accident on December 30, 2022, and had to miss out on last year’s IPL as well as international cricket will make a return to competitive cricket after a gap of 16 months when the cash-rich tournament gets underway in March-end. 

“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 TATA IPL 2024,” said a statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday (March 12). 

The 26-year-old left-handed dashing batsman had last played for the Delhi Capitals as skipper. His team finished fifth, failing to qualify for the playoffs. 

His last competitive match was a Test against Bangladesh in December, 2022 in Mirpur where he took four catches and scored a crucial 93 that helped India take first-innings lead and win the Test.

Pant, who has scored 2272 runs in Tests, 865 in ODIs, 967 in T20Is, and close to 3,000 runs in IPL, has been posting videos of his progress through the injury, including practicing his wicketkeeping skills. 

Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting a day before the latest announcement on Pant’s fitness had said that Pant will lead the Capitals only if he is totally fit. 

“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 said in an International Cricket Council (ICC) interview. 

Ponting had added that the progress has been encouraging. 

“He’s actually played some practice matches over the last couple of weeks, which has been really encouraging for us.”

While Pant is making a comeback, pace bowlers Mohammed Shami (Gujarat Titans) and Prasidh Krishna (Rajasthan Royals) have been ruled out of the tournament. 

On Shami, the BCCI stated, “The fast bowler successfully underwent surgery on February 26, 2024, for his right heel problem. He is currently being monitored by the BCCI medical team and is ruled out of the upcoming TATA IPL 2024.”

On Krishna, the BCCI said, “The fast bowler underwent surgery on February 23, 2024, on his left proximal quadriceps tendon. He is currently being monitored by the BCCI Medical Team and will resume rehab at the National Cricket Academy soon. He will not be able to take part in the upcoming TATA IPL 2024.”