IPL 2024: Rishabh Pant named captain of Delhi Capitals

Rishabh Pant will captain Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2024, the franchise has announced. The wicketkeeper-batter is making a return to professional cricket after 14 months, and has been a part of DC's pre-season preparatory camp in Visakhapatnam.

Pant has been out of cricket after a horrific car accident in December 2022.

Speaking on the occasion, DC Chairman and co-owner Parth Jindal said, “We are delighted to welcome Rishabh back as our Captain. Grit and fearlessness have always dictated his brand of cricket, and not surprisingly, even his road to recovery. I can’t wait to see him walk our team out once again as we look forward to a new season with renewed passion, vigour and enthusiasm.”

Team co-owner Kiran Kumar Grandhi said, “Rishabh has worked incredibly hard during one of the most challenging phases of his life. I have no doubt his teammates will take immense inspiration from that as they embark upon a new season. Captain Rishabh and the team has our best wishes.”

DC will be up against Punjab Kings in their first match of IPL 2024 in Chandigarh on 23 March.

Earlier, Pant was given clearance by the BCCI to play as a wicketkeeper-batter in this year's IPL.

"After undergoing an extensive 14-month rehab and recovery process, following a life-threatening road mishap on December 30, 2022, near Roorkee, Uttarakhand, Rishabh Pant has now been declared fit as a wicket-keeper batter for the upcoming IPL 2024," the board had stated in a medical update.

Delhi head coach Ricky Ponting too had given a thumbs-up for the way Pant was playing at nets during the team's camp.

"We missed him incredibly last year. The whole tournament missed him. Rishabh brings so much energy to the team. He's got that smile on his face, he's hitting the ball as good as ever and he tends to lift all of his teammates around him," said Ponting.

Last year, Australian veteran David Warner had led DC and they finished ninth in the 10-team league with five wins and nine losses ahead of Sunrisers Hyderabad.