IPL 2024: Rishabh Pant declared fit as wicketkeeper-batter by BCCI medical team
India and Delhi Capitals wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has been declared fit by the Board of Control for Cricket.
In India medical team ahead of the Indian Premier League 2024. In a statement on Tuesday, March 12, the BCCI confirmed that Rishabh Pant has regained full fitness to bat and keep wickets in the upcoming edition of IPL, starting March 22.
The news comes as a huge boost for India given Pant will now be in the running for the T20 World Cup squad, which is set to travel to the Caribbean shores for the upcoming ICC tournament.
With the BCCI giving the green signal for Pant’s return, the wicketkeeper-batter is all set to take over as the captain of Delhi Capitals. David Warner led the former finalists in the absence of Pant in IPL 2023, but the franchise struggled to get going, finishing 2nd last in the 10-team points table.
“After undergoing an extensive 14-month rehab and recovery process, following a life-threatening road mishap on December 30th, 2022, near Roorkee, Uttarakhand, Rishabh Pant has now been declared fit as a wicket-keeper batter for the upcoming TATA IPL 2024,” the BCCI said in its release on Thursday.
RISHABH PANT’S ACCIDENT
The Indian wicketkeeper-batter suffered a near-fatal accident while driving back to his home in Roorkee. The cricketer had multiple surgeries in 2023 and went through an extensive strength and conditioning programme. In 2023, Pant’s absence was felt throughout the Indian cricketing calendar, especially in the World Test Championship Final against Australia and in the ODI World Cup 2023.
Pant was seen cheering for Delhi Capitals in the stands of the Arun Jaitley Stadium during the 2023 season of the Indian Premier League. The wicket-keeper batter posted his fitness updates throughout the year and is now set to return to competitive cricket.
COACH PONTING ON PANT
Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting had spoken about Pant earlier in March and had said that the star cricketer had been going through wicketkeeping trials at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
Pant’s return to fitness will be a huge boost for DC as well, who could not settle in on their wicketkeeper in the 2023 season.
“He’s actually played some practice matches over the last couple of weeks, which has been really encouraging for us,” Ponting had said on ICC Review.
“I know he’s worked incredibly hard on his body and his fitness to get back to the level that he’s at now. He’s kept in one of those games, he’s fielded in these games and the batting hasn’t seemingly been an issue for him so far,” Ponting added.
“We’ve obviously had worries and concerns that he might not have made it in time to be ready for the IPL this year. I mean, he was a huge loss for us last year and what he went through, we can’t even begin to describe what he’s been through the last 12 or 14 months,” concluded the legendary cricketer.