Pant makes return as Kings beat Capitals in IPL

In the Indian Premier League match between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings at Mullanpur, Rishabh Pant, the wicketkeeper of Mumbai Indians who had been in a major car accident in December 2022, scored 18 runs off 13 balls in his first appearance. The final scores of the match were Delhi Capitals 174-9 (20 overs), with Hope scoring 33 runs off 25 balls and Arshdeep taking 2-28, and Punjab Kings 177-6 (20 overs), with S Curran scoring 63 runs off 47 balls and Kuldeep taking 2-20. Punjab Kings emerged victorious by four wickets. To see the detailed scores and table standings, please refer to the scorecard and table.

After being absent for 14 months, Rishabh Pant made his comeback in the Delhi Capitals' loss against the Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League.

Capitals tallied up a total of 174 runs with 9 wickets lost within the allotted 20 overs, while Shai Hope became the leading scorer with a total of 33 runs.

As a reaction, the all-rounder from England, Sam Curran, made 63 runs for the Kings team which resulted in their win.

Pant managed to hit 18 runs for the Capitals in his initial match after being involved in a severe car crash in December of 2022.

Curran shared the field with his fellow English mates, Liam Livingstone and Jonny Bairstow, while playing for the Kings.

Pant, the wicketkeeper, came back to play for the Capitals and he was placed fourth in the batting order. Although he had encountered head, back, and leg injuries in an accident which caused him to use assistance when walking for several months, the 26-year-old captain started off slowly. However, he eventually went on to score 18 runs off 13 deliveries before being caught out by Harshal Patel's bowling.

He confessed to feeling "worked up" before the game and later said to journalists: "For me, I was quite anxious, but it's something you have to experience when you step onto the pitch.

I have been nervous before, but I am still happy to be coming back.

The Capitals experienced a rapid loss of wickets in the middle order, causing them to drop from a score of 111-4 to 147-8 towards the end of their batting period. However, Abishek Porel, who was brought in as a substitute, made a significant impact by contributing 32 runs to the score. He even managed to score 25 runs in the final over. Porel's impressive performance helped set the Kings a target of 175 runs to chase.

The Kings were in trouble at the start of their innings, but Curran and Livingstone, both hailing from England, took over and saved the day. Curran managed to score a half century, which was his fourth in his IPL career. This impressive feat was achieved after facing 39 balls. Alongside Livingstone, who scored 38 runs, they formed a strong partnership, adding 67 runs for the fifth wicket, which was achieved in just 42 balls. This left the Kings with only eight more runs to score from the final nine balls.

Livingstone smashed the ball over the boundary line for six in the very last over, securing the win with just four balls remaining.