Rishabh Pant Gears Up for IPL Return: A Mix of Nervousness and Excitement

As he prepares for his first competitive match in almost 15 months—leading Delhi Capitals against Punjab Kings in their IPL opener on Saturday—Rishabh Pant is feeling the full spectrum of emotions, from anxiety to enthusiasm.

After a terrifying vehicle accident in December 2022, Pant underwent a torturously drawn-out rehabilitation and is happy to be back on the 22-yard strip.

"I'm jittery, anxious, eager, and everything in between, but I'm also simply pleased that I get to play professional cricket again. Prior to his team's opening game of the season, Pant stated, "I'm just excited to play my first game."

With prolonged batting practices at the Capitals' nets, the star catcher-batter intends to take each day as it comes since he understands that it will take time to regain his former form.

"Every time I step onto the pitch, I experience something completely new. All I wanted to do was practice hitting as much as I could and improve daily. He continued, "I take each day as it comes, I don't plan ahead, and I give my all," in reference to the Delhi Capitals' preseason camp in Visakhapatnam.

Pant aims to keep his team's strategy as straightforward as possible, much like his batting.

"The majority of the talks are really straightforward. We simply want to go out there, have a good time, avoid making things too complicated, and give every game our all," he remarked.

Ricky Ponting, the head coach, is overjoyed that his captain is back where he belongs.

"The Indian Premier League is about to begin; this is a very exciting time of year." When your captain returns to your squad, the action gets even more exciting. He is the one in charge here. When asked about Pant's comeback, Ponting responded, "He is the heartbeat of this franchise and having him back is going to make this team a lot stronger."

Ponting believes it is a positive sign if Pant is a little anxious before his debut, and he didn't rule out putting in extra work when the left-hander returns.

Before coming here, we trained for a week in Vizag, and I can assure you that Rishabh is back and prepared to play. Playing his first game in a while will make him a little scared, but that's a good thing because it means something to you. I've seen where he's at with his game, so don't be shocked if anything noteworthy occurs on Saturday," he remarked.

In order to start their campaign on a positive note, Punjab will be hoping that there isn't a Pant "special" on Saturday and will instead rely on home conditions when they play at their new home stadium in Mullanpur.

Punjab, led by Shikhar Dhawan, will have to bat effectively against a potent Capitals bowling attack, which features the highly effective wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

Punjab will be hoping that Arshdeep Singh and Kagiso Rabada are bowling at their best.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.