Rishabh Pant’s comeback to competitive cricket after 454 days didn’t help Delhi Capitals as Punjab Kings defeated the guests at new ground in Mohali’s Mullanpur in Tata IPL 2024’s match 2 on Saturday. Pant, who made 18 off 13 balls, was also seen wicketkeeping.
The Capitals were put to bat as hosts Punjab Kings won the toss and skipper Shikhar Dhawan decided to field first. Though David Warner and Mitchell Marsh did give a solid start to the Capitals, the regular fall of wickets didn’t help the team. It was only the terrific cameo by young Abhishek Porel, who was the impact sub in the match, to give some fillip to the team. His 32 off 10 deliveries, which included four boundaries and two maximums, steer Capitals to a respectable total of 174.
Beginning the chase, Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow played some cool shots and the hosts never looked under pressure till Ishant Sharma got rid of both the Punjab openers. There was some chance for Capitals to redeem themselves and get back in the game, but Sharma got injured and was seen limping back to the pavilion. Short of one bowler, Pant relied heavily on Mitch Marsh and Khaleel Ahmed.
These two proved to be super expensive. Poor fielding was also a case. David Warner missed a big catch. To add to Capitals’ woe, the fifth wicket partnership between Curran and Liam Livingtsone put Punjab in commanding position. Livingstone smashed the winning shot – a huge six. With this Punjab have won their first match in Tata IPL 2024. It may not be an ideal start for Pant. But the fact that he was seen in the middle batting and later wicketkeeping shows that his fitness is on point.