Sluggish start for Rishabh Pant at DPL T20, departs for 35 in first inning as Purani Dilli 6 captain

Rishabh Pant hasn’t been at his best since his return to cricket in March. Despite being the Delhi Capitals’ best batter in IPL 2024 with an average of 40 and a strike rate of 155, you could see that he wasn’t back to his best. Unlike before, he needed some time to get going and was often playing catch-up innings. However, it was enough for the Indian management to take him to the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Rishabh Pant’s struggle with form

He started things incredibly well, scoring 36 off 26 and 42 off 31 against Ireland and Pakistan on the tough Nassau pitch. He chipped in against Afghanistan and Bangladesh in the Super 8 but was a no-show against the three toughest opponents, Australia, England, and South Africa. He scored a 4 in the semifinal and a duck in the final.

In Sri Lanka, he fell short by one run of scoring his first fifty, but that wasn’t a great inning. He faced the most balls (33), scoring 49 runs, but had the lowest strike rate of anyone who played more than 10 balls. He was 20(22), and if not for a flourish at the end, India might not have even gotten past 200.

He’s continued that sluggish form in the Delhi Premier League (DPL) T20 as well. Batting first against the South Delhi Superstarz, the Purani Dilli 6 captain ended his inning with a strike rate of 109. His 32-ball 35 looked pale against 20-year-old opener Arpit Rana’s scintillating knock of 59.

He never looked home, and he had a strike rate of less than 100 for the most part. He even survived a leg before wicket (LBW) scare but missed and edged the ball multiple times. He still has 9 matches left to show his mettle in the DPL, but it certainly isn’t the best look that he’s struggling against bowlers who haven’t even played the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Rishabh Pant’s T20I record since return

Inns	Runs	Balls Faced	Avg	SR	50s & 100s
10	222	169	27.75	131.36	–