IPL 2024: Rishabh Pant Returns, But Failed to Impact As  Punjab Wins In A Close Combat

Star wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant returns to cricket after a 15-month-long break. But failed to show an impact in the game against the Punjab Kings.

The season‘s second game was played between the Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings on Saturday in Mullanpur, Punjab. Rishabh Pant, Delhi‘s skipper, who survived a severe car crash in 2022, has returned to action to lead his team, DC, in their season opener against PBSK.

DC‘s batting failure:

After losing the toss, DC was asked to bat first. David Warner and Mitchel Marsh opened with decent scores, following 29 off 21 and 20 off 12. After Marsh‘s dismissal, Windies batter Shai Hope joined hands with Warner and moved the scoreboard forward. When Warner was sent out to pavillion by Harshal Patel in the inning‘s 8th over, Pant entered the arena and made a quick start by slamming two boundaries. But he failed to continue his pace. When he was on the 18-run mark, Patel sent him back to Pavillion with a smart, slower delivery.

Tailenders saves the day for DC:

From there on, none of the DC batters, except Axar Patel (21) and Abhishek Porel (32*), were able to make a double-digit score. While Axar tried his best to retaliate against the PBSK‘s bowling attack, Abhishek made his mark with a much-needed 32 runs out of 10 deliveries, which included two fours and two sixes. With his swift inning, DC managed to put up a fighting 179-run score for nine wickets on the board at the end. Punjab’s pacers, Arshdeep and Harshal Patel, managed to bag two wickets each.

Punjab fumbles as openers out cheaply:

While chasing the 180-run target, Punjab completely fumbled at the start, as Bairstow (9) made his way to the pavillion early. In the fourth over, veteran pacer Ishanth bowled Punjab’s skipper, Dhawan, with a magnificent straight delivery. The consecutive dismissals in the powerplay pushed Punjab into a corner.

Curran, Livingstone led the Punjab to win:

But England’s all-rounder Sam Curran (63 off 47) led the revival with a spectacular half-century. first pairing with Prabhsimran Mann (26), later with Liam Livingstone (38), and took the team to the verge of the win. When Curran was bowled by Khaleel in the 19th over, Punjab‘s win was already assured. They were on 167/5. However, Livingstone completed the rest with a clean six to earn a grand victory for the team. At the end, Punjab made 177 runs at the loss of 6 wickets in 19.2 overs. This helped Punjab start their journey in the tournament with a win. In the DC‘s bowling attack, Khaleel and Kuldeep managed to get two wickets each. The marvelous inning by Sam Curran earns him the Player of the Match award.