IPL 2024 is set to kick off on March 22 (Friday) with defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) taking on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Chennai. While there is a lot of buzz on MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli’s return to action, there are eyes on Hardik Pandya and how he will do as Mumbai Indians (MI) captain. Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant’s comeback is also generating a lot of noise.

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Pant is returning to competitive cricket after a 14-month gap, post his horrific car crash in December 2022. Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra opened up on Pant’s return, who will be captaining the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the upcoming season. Chopra stated that while emotions are high among the public to see Pant’s return, he also stresses on how it might be difficult for him to get going after a long gap. The keeper-batter’s form will be crucial as if he succeeds in IPL 2024, he will also be in the running to  feature in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad (which commences soon after the IPL in West Indies and USA).

On his YouTube channel, Chopra said, “Opportunities are absolutely plenty. Our emotional quotient has gone very high for Rishabh Pant. We are all waiting for Rishabh Pant to come, hit and shine. Everyone has even started talking about the T20 World Cup, that he will reach there if he scores runs.”

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“At the moment, we are riding high on emotion because we all love him so much. However, he will go to the ground after a long time. 14 months is a long time. So it’s a big opportunity to see how he will play, that will we see the old Rishabh Pant,” Chopra added.

On Tuesday (March 19), Pant was officially confirmed to lead Delhi in the upcoming season. The one-time finalists will open their campaign on March 23, versus hosts Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mohali.

Squad: Rishabh Pant, Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel, Kumar Kushagra, Ricky Bhui, Shai Hope,  Prithvi Shaw, Harry Brook, Yash Dhull, Swastik Chikara, David Warner,  Pravin Dubey, Axar Patel, Mitchell Marsh, Lalit Yadav, Vicky Ostwal, Sumit Kumar, Anrich Nortje, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Jhye Richardson, Rasikh Salem

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