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Delhi Capitals' (DC) Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly's recent update on Rishabh Pant has left fans wondering about star southpaw's availability for entire season of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, which is slated to start from March 22.
DC will play their first match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on March 23.
Dynamic wicketkeeper-batter Pant is gearing up for a comeback to competitive cricket, grinding out at the NCA to gain his fitness before the IPL's 17th season kicks off. The left-hander's return is eagerly anticipated by DC, a sentiment echoed by the team's Director of Cricket Ganguly. However, Ganguly hinted that the team is awaiting final approval from the NCA before making a decision regarding Pant's role as captain and wicketkeeper.
Pant's career was hit a big setback following a horrible car crash in 2022, sidelining him from from most of the big tournaments after suffering multiple injuries. Despite the challenges, the star batter has been focused on his rehabilitation, aiming to make a timely return for the IPL 2024, especially since Delhi Capitals have secured him on their retention list for the upcoming season.
Ganguly emphasised the positive impact Pant's availability for the full season would have on DC.
Pant coming back is huge addition for us: Ganguly
“Rishabh coming back fit is a huge addition for us. We hope he plays the full season because he is a very special player. We have worked on some domestic players who have done well in all formats. But Rishabh is very important,” Ganguly told Times of India.
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At the same time, the Ganguly acknowledged that the team has not yet reached a final decision on reinstating Pant as DC captain, pending clearance from the NCA.
Ganguly talks up captaincy backups for DC
"He has done everything to get fit and that’s the reason NCA will clear him. Let Rishabh get cleared on Mar 5 only then we’ll talk about captaincy backups. We are taking a cautious approach with him because he has a very long career ahead of him. We don’t want to push him in excitement. We will see how Rishabh reacts. He will be joining the camp once NCA gives him the clearance. We will see match by match. We can’t predict," Ganguly added.
Last season, in Pant's absence, Australia's David Warner stepped in as the temporary captain for Delhi. Unfortunately, this strategy did not yield positive results for the team, leading them to finish ninth in the points table.
"As for wicketkeeping options, there’s Kumar Kushagra. Ricky Bhui has had a very good season. There is Shai Hope and Tristan Stubbs," Ganguly further added.
Ganguly also talked about Prithvi Shaw's comeback from injury. Notably, Shaw had a torrid season with the bat in IPL 2023.
“Prithvi is batting really well. He went to play county and scored a lot of runs last season. The only thing about him is that he thinks a lot about strike rate. That needs to be balanced. He is getting fitter too. There was over-reliance on overseas players last year. That shouldn't be the case this year,” Ganguly added.
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