New Delhi, 19 March

Rishabh Pant was on Tuesday appointed as the captain of Delhi Capitals for the upcoming edition of the IPL, marking a wonderful chapter in his miraculous comeback saga.

The keeper-batter missed cricketing action for 14 months after suffering a horrific car accident in December 2022. "We are delighted to welcome Rishabh back as our captain. Grit and fearlessness have always dictated his brand of cricket, and not surprisingly, even his road to recovery. I can't wait to see him walk our team out once again as we look forward to a new season with renewed passion, vigour and enthusiasm," said DC chairman and co-owner Parth Jindal in a media release.

The left-hander has been a part of the Capitals pre-season preparatory camp in Visakhapatnam, ahead of their first IPL 2024 match against Punjab Kings in Chandigarh on 23 March. The IPL begins on 22 March.

Earlier, Pant was given clearance by the BCCI to play as a wicketkeeper batter in this year's IPL. "After undergoing an extensive 14-month rehab and recovery process, following a life-threatening road mishap on 30 December, 2022, near Roorkee, Uttarakhand, Rishabh Pant has now been declared fit as a wicket-keeper batter for the upcoming IPL 2024," the board had stated in a medical update.

Delhi head coach Ricky Ponting too had given a thumbs-up for the way Pant was playing at nets during the team's camp. "We missed him incredibly last year. The whole tournament missed him. Rishabh brings so much energy to the team. He's got that smile on his face, he's hitting the ball as good as ever and he tends to lift all of his teammates around him," said Ponting.

Last year's Australian veteran David Warner had led the Capitals and they finished ninth in the 10-team league with five wins and nine loses ahead of Sunrisers Hyderabad.