NEW DELHI: Rishabh Pant showcased his leadership prowess by delivering his first IPL fifty since his return from a harrowing car accident as Delhi Capitals secured a 20-run victory over Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2024 on Sunday.
Captain Pant led the charge with a brisk 51 off 32 balls, following a stellar performance by fellow left-hander David Warner, who contributed 52 runs, propelling Delhi to a total of 191-5 in Visakhapatnam.
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Delhi’s bowlers put up an impressive display, restricting Chennai to 171-6, securing their first win of the season and handing their opponents a defeat after two consecutive opening victories.
Talking about his innings, Pant mentioned that he took some time to settle in before unleashing his strokes. He emphasized that he had been eagerly anticipating this moment for the past year and a half, highlighting that his life revolves around the game of cricket.
“Took my time initially because I haven’t played much cricket, but I kept believing I could change the match. One and a half years, this is something I have built my life on. Still have to keep learning as a cricketer,” Pant said.

“The bowlers were clinical, we talked about learning from mistakes. (Shaw opening) He’s been working hard, we thought it was time to give him his chance and he took it. (Mukesh) Depends on the match-ups but he stands up at the death, came back well today despite being hit,” he added.
Pant, who returned to the T20 tournament after 14 months away from top level cricket, came in on the back of two innings of 18 and 28 and took time to settle in.
He started slowly but gained momentum at the backend as he smashed Pathirana for two fours and a six on successive balls, but the bowler had his revenge on the fourth.