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Ahead of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, the biggest talking point is Delhi Capitals (DC) captain Rishabh Pant's likely comeback. Pant who survived a horrific accident on December 30, 2023, and after undergoing surgeries is recovering at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) is yet to be named in the Delhi-based franchise's squad for the upcoming edition.
As per a report by Dainik Bhaskar, Pant has not passed the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) fitness test. If he gets the certificate from the apex board at the NCA, he will be ready for a comeback in the IPL. Meanwhile, Pant has participated in practice matches/match simulations but the experts are yet to declare him match-fit.
Earlier, DC's Director of Cricket, Sourav Ganguly had revealed that Pant is likely to get clearance from NCA on March 5.
"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," he told Times of India.
However, Ganguly made it clear that the call on him to take over the captaincy duties once again is yet to be taken. If Pant does not get clearance or is partially available for the season, David Warner will continue to lead DC.
DC’s home games in Vizag
DC will play their first match of the season against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on March 23 in Mohali. They will play their first two home games against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Vizag on March 31 and April 3 respectively. The reason behind DC’s home games scheduled to be played in Vizag is that the pitch at Arun Jaitley Stadium will take time to be prepared after the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 final.
DC’s full squad for IPL 2024 if Pant isn’t declared fit
David Warner (c), Prithvi Shaw, Yash Dhull, Abishek Porel, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Pravin Dubey, Vicky Ostwal, Anrich Nortje, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Khaleel Ahmed, Ishant Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Harry Brook, Tristan Stubbs, Ricky Bhui, Kumar Kushagra, Rasikh Dar, Jhye Richardson, Sumit Kumar, Shai Hope, Swastik Chhikara
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