Rishabh Pant made his return to competitive cricket after a 454-day absence, playing in the IPL 2024 match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Chandigarh. This was Pant's first game since a fatal car accident in December 2022.
He came out to bat after David Warner was dismissed by Harshal Patel, receiving a standing ovation from both fans and teams. The other batter, Shai Hope, appeared content and tapped his bat twice.
Pant appeared at ease while running between the wickets, but refrained from taking doubles due to his reconstructed right knee ligaments. On the seventh ball of his innings, Pant struck a tossed-up delivery from Rahul Chahar to backward square, which Harshal failed to catch, resulting in a boundary.
However, the pacer dismissed the incoming batsman, caught by Jonny Bairstow.
Pant lost his composure and yelled in frustration. After scoring 18 runs off 13 balls, he returned to the dressing room, visibly frustrated as he smashed his bat against his pads. Later, he was spotted sitting behind head coach Ricky Ponting with his hand on his face.
Earlier, Shikhar Dhawan won the toss and chose to field first. 'It is an emotional time for me. I just want to enjoy the moment. I am not thinking about anything else,' he said. DC scored 174 runs in 20 overs, with Hope scoring 33 runs off 25 balls.