Ganguly Reveals Pant's IPL D-Day, To "Decide Captaincy Options" After That

Fans eagerly await the return of wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who has been out of since sustaining multiple injuries in a life-threatening car crash in December 2022. Pant hasn't played a competitive game since his accident, but is expected to return to action during the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Pant had missed the IPL last year, with David Warner leading the Delhi Capitals (DC) in his absence. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who is now the Director of Cricket at DC, has revealed that Pant is likely to get clearance from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) on March 5.

Ganguly said that once Pant gets the nod from NCA, the DC management will take on final call on their captain for IPL 2024, which starts March 22.

"Let Rishabh get cleared on March 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 told Times of India.

While Ganguly suggested that DC have a lot of options in the wicketkeeping department, the former BCCI chief hoped that Pant can play the full season for the franchise.

"As for wicketkeeping options, there's Kumar Kushagra. Ricky Bhui has had a very good season. There is Shai Hope and Tristan Stubbs. 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," he added.

Pant has represented DC since 2016 and scored 2,838 runs in 98 matches at an average of 34.61 and a strike rate of over 147, with a century and 15 fifties to his name.

The 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will start on March 22, with defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) set to clash with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in a South Indian derby at MA Chidambaram Stadium.

DC will be playing their home fixtures at Vizag on March 31 and April 3 against CSK and Kolkata Knight Riders, respectively. Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium will not be available to host the matches just days after hosting the Women's Premier League final on March 17.

(With ANI Inputs)

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