"Rishabh's very confident that he's going to be right to play" - Ricky Ponting offers update on Pant's availability in IPL 2024 

Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach, Ricky Ponting, has stated that skipper Rishabh Pant is optimistic about a full-fledged return to cricket in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). The wicket-keeper batter has been sidelined ever since the unfortunate car crash in December 2022, but is close to being fully fit, based on the updates he has shared on his social media accounts in the recent past.

It is yet to be confirmed whether Pant will be able to fulfill the multiple tasks that his role as wicketkeeper-batter and captain demands. There is also a provision for the flamboyant player to feature as a pure batter, with the impact player rule in place.

Ponting, who was recently unveiled as Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise Washington Freedom's head coach, remains cautiously optimistic surrounding Pant's return to the team.

"Rishabh is very confident that he's going to be right to play. In what capacity we're not quite sure yet. You would have seen all the social-media stuff, he's up and about and running well. But in saying that we're only six weeks away from the first game as well. So we're not sure if we'll get wicketkeeping out of him this year," Ponting said in Melbourne on Wednesday, February 6

Ponting further stated that he expects Pant to be adamant about fulfilling all the roles with the franchise, rather than easing into the sport after a lengthy layoff.

"But I'll guarantee if I asked him now he'll say, 'I'm playing every game, I'm keeping every game and I'm batting at No.4.' That's just what he's like, but we'll keep our fingers crossed. He's such a dynamic player. He's obviously our captain. We missed him incredibly last year," Ponting added

In Pant's absence in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL), DC finished ninth in the points table under David Warner's leadership. The franchise struggled right from the word go as they began their campaign with five successive defeats, causing them to miss the playoffs for a second straight year.

"Whatever games you can get out of him will be a bonus" - Ricky Ponting keeps his fingers crossed over Pant's return

Rishabh Pant marked his presence along with Ricky Ponting at the 2024 IPL mini-auction in Dubai on December 19, and he has been working hard, at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, to make his return.

The DC head coach hopes for the best and admits that the prospect of Pant being available for some games, if not all, is a huge win for the team.

"We'll just keep our fingers crossed and hope that he can be out there and play. Even if it's not all the games, if we can manage him through 10 of the 14 games or whatever that might be then whatever games you can get out of him will be a bonus," Ponting said

If Pant is not available to feature in a complete capacity, which includes wicket-keeping and captaincy responsibilities, veteran David Warner might be entrusted to lead the side yet again.

Despite a relatively strong batting unit, filled with overseas candidates like David Warner and Mitchell Marsh, DC struggled with the bat. Prithvi Shaw's dismal form and Rishabh Pant's unavailability did not help the team's cause as well.

Shedding light on the batting woes that need to be addressed, Ponting emphasized the slow surface at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, something which he brought up during his commentary duties in the recently concluded 2023-24 Big Bash League (BBL) season as well.

"We've got some challenges with our home venue to be honest. We rock up every game, we're not really sure exactly what sort of wicket we're going to get. So you'd go to the auction expecting you're going to get one [type] of surface and you rock up for five games, seven games there and you get five different pitches so that does make it hard. But we definitely lacked on batting quality last year, which is what we've tried to really improve on this year," Ponting concluded

DC have made several changes to their batting unit, which includes parting ways with Phil Salt and Rovman Powell while acquiring the likes of Harry Brook, Tristan Stubbs, Kumar Kushagra, and Shai Hope.