India’s explosive batter Rishabh Pant was the centre of attraction during the Indian Premier League mini-auction in Dubai on Tuesday. The Delhi-based batter was sitting at the auction table with the Delhi Capitals think tank including head coach Ricky Ponting and Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly.
Fans were excited to see Pant attending the auction as they are hoping to see him back on the field in the upcoming season of IPL. Pant had a life-threatening road accident in December 2022 and as a result, he sustained a lot of injuries. He is still recovering from them and is likely to participate in the upcoming cash-rich league.
Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly spoke to India Today and said Rishabh Pant would return to action in 2024.
"Rishabh Pant is in good shape. He will play from next season," he added.
Post attending the auction, Rishabh Pant was spotted playing pickleball with one of his idols, MS Dhoni. The video of the same has been doing rounds on social media where the duo were spotted hitting smash against each other. Former India player MS Dhoni on the other hand did not attend the auction on Tuesday. The former India captain witnessed loud cheers at the airport as he was seen reaching the town on the day of the auction.
Earlier, Dhoni invited Suresh Raina and RP Singh for dinner at his residence in Ranchi. Dhoni also hosted Rishabh Pant during Diwali celebrations earlier in the year. Talking about the IPL 2024 auction, Delhi Capitals secured the likes of England's batter, Harry Brook, for Rs 4 crore. Earlier, he was released by SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) ahead of the auction, Brook became the talking point of a bidding war between Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals.