Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant was dismissed for 18 runs from 13 balls on Saturday. It was the left-handed wicketkeeper batter's first competitive game in nearly 15 months.
Coming back after a long rehab following a horrific car crash in December 2022, Rishabh Pant scored two boundaries before being dismissed by a short-pitch delivery by Harshal Patel.
After a slow start, 22-year-old Pant was starting to accelerate when his wicket fell. After playing second fiddle to Shai Hope, who was dismissed by Kagiso Rabada after a well-made 25 ball 33, Pant decided to attack PBKS bowlers at Chandigarh.
The DC skipper managed eight runs from the first three balls of the 14th over, including two doubles and a boundary. In no mood to slow down, Pant tried to uppercut a slow short-pitched delivery by Patel. However, the ball went nowhere and landed in the safe hands of Jonny Bairstow at backward point.
Earlier, Pant had received a lifeline when Harshal Patel missed a catching opportunity near the boundary ropes. A shorter in-length delivery from leggie Rahul Chahar was dispatched towards deep square leg by Pant. Harshal was in the right place to make a comfortable catch but he misjudged the incoming ball, letting it cross the boundary rope through his hands.
"Jittery, nervous, excited...all of it, but at the same time, just happy, being able to come back to professional cricket. I'm just looking forward to playing my first game tomorrow," Pant had earlier said ahead of DC's season opener.
"Every time I take the field, it's a different feeling altogether. I just wanted to bat as much as I could and get better every day. I don't think much ahead, I take one day at a time, and give my 100%," he added.
Punjab Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan decided to bowl first after winning the toss at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Cricket Stadium.
