Star Indian wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant has opened up about his recovery process ahead of the IPL auction 2024 in Dubai. The Delhi Capitals skipper will be present at the auction table for his team alongside legendary Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting.
Rishabh Pant has been out from cricket since a horrific car accident in December 2022, in which all three main ligaments in his right knee were damaged. He then missed the entire season of the 2023 IPL and International cricket while carrying out his recovery process at the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and is likely to return to the game during the next edition of the IPL.
Speaking to the franchise ahead of the IPL 2024 mini-auction, Rishabh Pant broke his silence on his rumoured return to the game, claiming that he is in a much better place than he was a few months ago, but still needs a few months to get back to full fitness and was happy with the support he received throughout the recovery process.
“Much better, given what I was doing a few months ago. I’m still on recovery to 100 percent but hopefully in a few months I will be able to do it.”
“It has been really amazing because whenever we keep playing cricket we feel no one loves us because there is so much pressure. Yes, it was a hard time, but at least I got to know that people love and respect me, and kind of kind of concern that they showed by heartwarming and crazy for me. It means a lot and helped a lot in recovery,” Rishabh Pant said.
Rishabh Pant was named by the Delhi Capitals as one of the retained players for the forthcoming season and is likely to captain the side. The 26-year-old could not make it into the Indian squads for the full tour of South Africa but made his comeback during a training camp organized by Delhi Capitals when he joined his DC teammates and would be keen to return to the field during the IPL 2024.
After releasing 11 players ahead of the auction, the Delhi Capitals will enter the auction with a purse of Rs. 28.95 crores. They will fill nine auction places, four of which will be filled by foreign players and the team would be keen to fill their holes ahead of the cash-rich league.