Rishabh Pant, the wicketkeeper of the Indian cricket team, scored 35 runs off 32 balls for Purani Dilli 6 in a Delhi Premier League (DPL) match against South Delhi Superstarz on Saturday. Despite his usual aggressive approach, Pant struggled against spin, leading to criticism on social media. Pant’s innings included 4 fours and one six, but his strike rate of 109 was below par. Fans had high expectations for Pant to play big innings after his performance in the T20 World Cup 2024.
Prior to the match, the left-handed wicketkeeper-batsman was honored by DDCA president Rohan Jaitley and BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla for his outstanding contributions to India’s ICC T20 World Cup victory.
DDCA President Mr. @rohanjaitley and BCCI Vice President Mr. @shuklarajiv honored Rishabh Pant for his ICC T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. ????#AdaniDelhiPremierLeagueT20… pic.twitter.com/UnubMEU0Gf
— Delhi Premier League T20 (@DelhiPLT20) August 17, 2024
In eight innings of the competition, Pant scored 171 runs at an average of 24.42 with a top score of 42. Despite the challenging conditions in the USA, Pant delivered some of the tournament’s best performances by an Indian player. He also excelled behind the stumps with 13 catches and a stumping, totaling 14 dismissals, the most by a keeper in a single T20 WC.
We call Rishabh Pant a match winner, but in reality, he falls short in white-ball cricket.
He faces 20-30 balls consistently but fails to convert them into meaningful runs, which is not beneficial in T20 cricket. Even scoring 25 runs off 10 balls would be more impactful in this format. pic.twitter.com/tr0Q6W0AL7
— Sujeet Suman (@sujeetsuman1991) August 17, 2024
The first Delhi Premier League (DPL) T20 edition was inaugurated with a grand opening ceremony at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday.
On a flat pitch in the initial DPL game, Pant scored 24 runs off 27 balls. This is not the IPL or T20I; this is a state T20 league. Despite his success in the T20I WC for India, he seems to struggle against spin. This is concerning news for the Indian cricket team.
— Kshitij Ojha (@Kshitij070) August 17, 2024
The opening ceremony featured performances by music artist Badshah and actress Sonam Bajwa, captivating the audience and creating a lively atmosphere.
Pant seems to be struggling against the spin bowlers.
— Kaushik Kashyap (@CricKaushik_) August 17, 2024
The star-studded event was attended by top officials from DDCA, franchise owners, players, and staff from all participating men’s and women’s teams.
(With ANI inputs)
@Cricbun
