IPL 2024: Comeback man Rishabh Pant 'jittery, nervous and excited' ahead of Delhi Capitals' season opener

Chandigarh, 22 March 2024: The Delhi Capitals are all geared up to begin their IPL 2024 campaign when they take on Punjab Kings at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Cricket Stadium in Mohali on March 23.

Addressing the media at a pre-match press conference, captain Rishabh Pant spoke at length about his feelings about making a comeback to professional cricket after 14 months. 

"Jittery, nervous, excited- all of it, but at the same time, just happy, being able to come back to professional cricket. I'm just looking forward to playing my first game tomorrow. Every time I take the field, it's a different feeling altogether. I just wanted to bat as much as I could and get better every day. I don't think much ahead, I take one day at a time, and give my 100%," Pant expressed while talking about Delhi Capitals' pre-season camp in Visakhapatnam. 

Speaking about the approach this season, the skipper said "Most of the conversations are pretty simple, we just want to go out there, have fun, not complicate things and give our 100% in all the games."

Speaking about the team's preparedness for the season Head Coach Ricky Ponting stated, "Make no mistake, we have got a great team this year. Our preparations have been absolutely perfect. We are just looking to topping it off today, and make sure we put a performance that I know would be good enough to win the game tomorrow." 

When asked about Pant's return as the captain and his preparations for the season, Ponting said, "We are about to start an IPL, it's really an exciting time of the year. It becomes more exciting when your captain is back in your team. He is our leader, he is the heartbeat of this franchise and having him back is going to make this team a lot stronger.

"We had a week's training in Vizag before coming here and trust me Rishabh is back and ready to play. He will be a little bit nervous tomorrow, playing his first game in a while but nerves are always good because it means something to you. I've seen where his game is at, and don't be surprised if something special happens tomorrow," he concluded.

The Delhi Capitals will take on Punjab Kings in their first match of IPL 2024 in Chandigarh on March 23.