NEW DELHI: Former India captain
Sourav Ganguly
, Director of Cricket for Delhi Capitals, shared his sentiments on Thursday in anticipation of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, with star wicketkeeper
Rishabh Pant
rejoining the squad.
Pant was absent from IPL 2023 due to sustaining multiple injuries in a tragic car accident on December 30, 2022.
The 51-year-old emphasised that Pant's return is a significant morale boost for the Delhi Capitals as they approach
IPL 2024
.
Ganguly expressed his immense joy at having Pant back in the squad.
"It's a huge boost for Delhi Capitals because Indian players are gold in the IPL. Obviously, he has not played much cricket and I hope he gets back to rhythm very quickly. It's been a while since he is away from competitive cricket, almost 17-18 months. He has worked very hard to make a comeback. He is confident and wants to play for Delhi Capitals and India. I am extremely happy he is back and hope he gets through the season," Ganguly told Revsportz.
The former
BCCI
chief additionally mentioned that Pant appears highly confident about participating in the IPL 2024 edition, bringing positive news for both DC and the Indian national team.
"I met him (Rishabh) in Bangalore recently for the inaugural game of WPL. He was there. He is getting ready and hopefully will play in IPL 2024. He looked very confident about playing in the IPL 2024 which begins from March 22. And that's seriously good news for us in Delhi and India," the former left-hand batter 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) is scheduled to commence on March 22, featuring a South Indian derby between defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at MA Chidambaram Stadium.
The schedule has been announced until April 7, with the remaining fixtures yet to be declared due to the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the dates for which are pending.
Delhi Capitals will host their home matches in Vizag on March 31 and April 3 against CSK and Kolkata Knight Riders, respectively. The Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi will be unavailable shortly after hosting the Women's Premier League final on March 17.
DC's other fixtures include a match against the Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on March 28 and an encounter with the Mumbai Indians in Mumbai on April 7.
(With ANI inputs)
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