While the rest of the Indian cricket world is glued to the T20 World Cup, Rishabh Pant is fighting a medical battle. The Lucknow SuperGiants (LSG) captain is currently getting fit before the IPL starts in late March. After a nightmare run of injuries that saw him miss the T20 World Cup squad, Pant has now turned to a specialized treatment called Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) to help his body to heal faster.
It has been a long, painful road for the star wicketkeeper. Since his car crash in late 2022, Pant has spent more time in hospitals than on the pitch. He missed all of 2023 and a large chunk of 2024. Just when it looked like he was back, fresh injuries during the England tour last year and the New Zealand series sent him back to square one. With the IPL just weeks away, he is pulling out all the stops to avoid sitting on the sidelines again.
What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is becoming a go-to for elite athletes. The treatment involves sitting inside a pressurized chamber where the patient breathes 100 per cent pure oxygen. The goal is to flood the blood with so much oxygen that the body’s natural repair systems go into overdrive.
Rishabh Pant is using Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) chamber to recover faster. It provides pure oxygen at high pressure, which increases oxygen in the body, helps cells heal, and speeds up recovery.pic.twitter.com/l6Ufp4c95O
— HARSHIT🕷 (@I_am_Harshit_17) February 11, 2026
Dr. Amite Pankaj Aggarwal, the head of Orthopaedics at Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, explains that this isn’t just about feeling better, it’s about fixing the body at a cellular level. “HBOT increases the amount of oxygen dissolved in the blood, which encourages the growth of new blood vessels and stimulates bone-forming cells,” Dr. Aggarwal says. For a cricketer like Pant, whose game depends on explosive strength, this is vital. “It enhances the repair of ligaments and tendons through collagen synthesis,” he further adds.
‘This isn’t a one-time fix’
Getting ‘match-fit’ is very different from just being healthy. Pant needs his joints to handle the extreme stress of squatting behind the stumps for 20 overs and swinging for the fences. Dr. Aggarwal points out that this isn’t a one-time fix. “Typical treatment involves 20 to 40 sessions of 90 minutes each for significant impact,” he said.
The therapy is often used to treat deep infections or wounds that won’t heal, but in sports, it’s used to shave weeks off a recovery timeline. By pushing more oxygen into damaged tissues that usually have poor blood flow, the therapy helps the body ‘knit’ itself back together much faster than normal rest would allow.
Rishabh Pant’s comeback
For LSG and Pant, the next few weeks are critical. The captain isn’t just fighting for his own fitness; he’s fighting for his place at the top of the game. If the oxygen therapy works, we could see one of the greatest comeback stories in Indian cricket this March. If it doesn’t, the long wait for Pant’s return will continue.
One thing is for sure that Pant is leaving nothing to chance. From surviving a crash to breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized tube, he is doing everything possible to hear the roar of the IPL crowd once again.