According to the former head of India’s national cricket board, Sourav Ganguly, Rishabh Pant would not be able to participate in the lucrative Indian Premier League due to the injuries he sustained in a car accident earlier this month.
On December 30, just before dawn, the India star was driving his Mercedes SUV when it crashed somewhere north of New Delhi. The accident left him with severe injuries. The car caught fire, but the driver and conductor of a nearby bus were able to pull him to safety.
Rishabh Pant will lead his team, the Delhi Capitals, in the annual two-month competition that will begin in late March or early April. The tournament will feature participation from some of the most prominent international players in the sport.
Ganguly, who is set to join Delhi Capitals as director of cricket, was quoted by Sports Today as claiming that Rishabh Pant will not be available for the Indian Premier League.
Ganguly claimed on Tuesday that the injury to Rishabh Pant will have an impact on the performance of the Delhi Capitals during the Indian Premier League. “It will be a fantastic IPL (for the team) and we will do well,” he said.
After the accident, the 25-year-old patient was airlifted to Mumbai for additional treatment and surgery. Prior to that, he was confined to the hospital for a few days after the first trauma.
According to the Indian cricket board, Pant sustained multiple injuries, including a torn ligament in his right knee, as well as injuries to his wrist and ankle, as well as abrasions on his back.
Pant is a wicketkeeper and a flashy batsman. He is a mainstay in the Test squad and has been instrumental in many of India’s most memorable victories over the past three years.
But his performance with the white ball has been lacklustre over the past few months, and he was dropped from the squads for the ongoing one-day internationals and Twenty20 matches against Sri Lanka just a few days before the tragedy.
Pant is also not likely to participate in Australia’s forthcoming tour of India, which will take place in February and March and consist of a total of four Test matches between the two fierce rivals.