With the Indian cricket team part of a rare international break of 42 days, which began last week with the conclusion of the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, Rishabh Pant agreed to be part of the inaugural season of the Delhi Premier League. However, the Purani Dilli 6 captain struggled to score 35 off 32 in the tournament opener on Saturday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium against South Delhi Superstarz.

The domestic T20 league has been organised for the local players of Delhi, but the roster features some of the top names from the IPL and a few India stars. Pant, who represents Delhi in domestic cricket, garnered immediate attention after he was roped in by Purani Dilli 6 along with senior India fast bowler Ishant Sharma.

On Saturday, with Purani Dilli 6 put to bat first, Pant walked in at No. 3 after the dismissal of opener Manjeet in the third over of the innings. While the wicketkeeper-batter was part of a gritty 80-run stand alongside opener Arpit Rana, the latter did the bulk of the scoring as he hit 59 runs off 41 balls, laced with eight boundaries and two sixes.

Pant, who recently played a vital role in India's T20 World Cup title win in June, seemed to struggle against the slower bowlers as off-spinner Ayush Badoni and mystery spinner Digvesh Rathi contained the star India batter who is otherwise known for his hard-hitting, stroke-heavy gameplay. Pant managed just 10 runs from the first 14 balls and eventually reached the 30-run mark off 27 balls. His knock was laced with four boundaries and a solitary six and came at a strike rate of 109.37.

This is not the first time Pant has shown his vulnerability against spinners, despite having a T20 strike rate of close to 140 against the variety. Earlier in IPL 2024, where Pant returned to competitive action for the first time since his car accident in December 2022, he scored at a strike rate of 155.40, but the figure nosedived to 119.5 against spinners.

Although India will turn their focus on red-ball cricket over the remainder of 2024, where they play 10 Tests, Pant's knock in DPL sparked concerns over his batting prowess in T20 cricket.

Just one appearance for Rishabh Pant in DPL 2024

Pant reportedly agreed to make an appearance in the Delhi Premier League only for the opening fixtures, before he turns his focus on Duleep Trophy in preparation for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh. An impressive show could see Pant return to the Indian Test line-up for the first time since 2022.

“Rishabh has agreed to play the first match of the DPLT20 as he wanted to be a part of this initiative that is likely to provide a great platform for youngsters in Delhi. He acknowledges the role played by Delhi cricket in his career. However, it’s important for him to take care of himself given there is a long Test season coming. Being in prime shape to represent the country is his utmost priority. He will get back to red-ball training after the first match of DPL and start preparing for the long-format season starting with Duleep Trophy in the first week of Sept. DDCA and the Purani Delhi 6 management appreciates Rishabh’s gesture and also respects his commitments,” a source close to Pant told TOI.

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