There is good news for the fans of the Indian cricket team. Star Indian wicketkeeper-batsman, Rishabh Pant is not far away from comeback to competitive cricket. The Delhi star is currently in Kolkata to attend a 4-day Delhi Capitals camp ahead of IPL 2024 auction. Delhi Capitals’ director of cricket, Sourav Ganguly confirmed to IndiaToday that the 26-year-old looks in “good shape” and will play in the 2024 edition of IPL.
“Rishabh Pant is in good shape. He will play from next season. He will not practice now. He is here till 11th November. We had a discussion about the team with Pant as he is the captain of the team, considering the upcoming auctions,” Ganguly was quoted as saying to IndiaToday.
A video of Rishabh Pant taking selfies with fans during the camp has also gone viral on social media.
Notably, Rishabh Pant has been away from cricket since December last year. The wicketkeeper-batter was involved in a serious road accident in December 2022. The cricketer suffered serious injury to his knee and was bed-ridden for more than 2 months.
In June this year, Pant started is rehabiliation at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. In August, Rishabh Pant was also seen facing a few balls during a local match in Bengaluru.
Rishabh Pant Injury Timeline
- December 2022: Pant suffers horrific car accident on December 30, 2022.
- January 2023: Pant is airlifted to Mumbai for further treatment at the Kokilaben hospital.
- February 2023: Pant undergoes knee ligament reconstruction surgery in Mumbai under Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala
- February 2023: Rishabh Pant returns home after spending nearly 45 days in hospital.
- April 2023: Pant attends DC vs GT IPL match in Delhi, making first public appearance since the accident.
- April 2023: First time since his accident, Pant begins walking without support at the NCA.
- June 2023: Pant continues gym sessions with Team India players.
- August 2023: Rishabh Pant continues his recovery but bats for the first time in public eyes.
- September: Misses both Asia Cup and World Cup as recovery continues.
- October 2023: More positive news on recovery but still not fit to play in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
- November 2023: Attends Delhi Capitals’ camp in Kolkata as recovery continues.
- December 2023: Rishabh Pant is present at IPL 2024 Auction Table and takes part in bidding for Mitchell Starc.
Earlier, a senior BCCI official confirmed to Insidesport that Rishabh Pant may return in the IND vs AFG series in January instead of the IND vs SA tour.
“It’s still early days. It’s good that he has been batting in the nets. But he still needs some more time. He will have to go back to domestic cricket and gain the confidence back. Probably, if everything goes well, a return could be possible against Afghanistan. But again, it’s not certain yet,” a senior BCCI official told InsideSport.
Meanwhile, all franchises have started preparations for the IPL 2024 auction which is set to take place on December 19 in Dubai.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has set a November 26 deadline for franchises to submit list of retained and released players’ list before the IPL 2024 Auction.
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