Punit Bisht, a former Delhi wicketkeeper, has announced his retirement from the game.

On Wednesday, August 2, former Delhi wicketkeeper-batter Punit Bisht announced the end of his illustrious 17-year-long career. After the passing of Virat Kohli’s father, the 37-year-old batter joined forces with the Indian cricketer in a Ranji Trophy match for Delhi.

When Kohli was only 17 years old, his father, Prem Kohli, passed away. The top Indian batter faced Karnataka in 2006 with Bisht by his side, despite the fact that his father had suffered a brain haemorrhage in the middle of the night.

Bisht has participated in 272 games in three different formats and has represented Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, and Delhi, among other teams. In 2007–08, Delhi and Bisht won the Ranji Trophy. He has played in 103 first-class games and amassed 5231 runs—including ten hundreds—at a strike rate and average of 62.71 and 38.74, respectively. With an average of 38.98 and a strike rate of 100.48, he scored 2924 runs in List A across 103 matches, including six tonnes.

When Meghalaya played Sikkim in the 2018–19 Ranji Trophy, he recorded his highest first-class individual score of 343 for the team. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match in 2021, he also inspired Meghalaya to a remarkable 130-run victory over Mizoram with a superb 146-run innings in 51 balls that featured six boundaries and 17 maximums.

I decided that now was the perfect time to stop playing competitive cricket. Punit Bisht

Speaking about his decision to leave competitive cricket, Punit Bisht said that he believes this is the ideal time to do so. The 37-year-old footballer thinks he is finished with his playing career and says his most memorable moment was winning the Ranji Trophy.

“I decided that now was the perfect time to retire from professional cricket. I have participated in more than 100 games in both First-Class and List A formats, and if you consider Mushtaq Ali T20, you go to around 275 (272) competitive games. There is nothing left for me to accomplish as a player, so I think it’s time to say goodbye. The Ranji Trophy victory will always stand out as the most unforgettable moment. For being a part of this journey, I’d like to thank the BCCI, DDCA, JKCA, and Meghalaya CA,” Bisht was reported as saying by News18.