Delhi Capitals' Rishabh Pant will be sitting at an IPL Auction table for the first-time ever. Pant missed out on playing for the franchise in IPL 2023 after a near-fatal car crash in Uttarakhand. As he continues his recovery, in a video posted by the IPL on their official social media handle, it can now be confirmed that the wicketkeeper-batter will experience the auction room atmoshphere and dynamics first-hand for the first time ever as he will be part of the DC table.
"You know, as a kid, I used to think one day I might be able to sit on the table, somehow to help a team or something like that," Pant said in the video.
"I never thought that I will make it happen but somehow things are in place and I'm able to do it, and [I am] lucky to be able to do it. I think, hopefully, it will be an amazing experience because this is something new [for me]. Lots of love for the fans and hope we get whatever we want from the auction, I guess.
"Nervousness is definitely one point I've to work on because whenever you do something exciting or new, the nervousness is always there. Yes, this is my first time but I want to grow as an individual and learn whatever I can from it. [It's] really exciting because I don't know many people have done it or not, but I would love to be part of it - something exciting, something new," he added.
It is pertinent to note that Pant had to undergo a knee ligament surgery after his car crash in December last year. He admitted that he was "lucky to be alive". He even revealed that the road to recovery was not easy.
"The kind of accident I had, [I'm] lucky to be alive," he said.
"I think it was very challenging, especially the first part I would say more from a physical point of view because in the starting there was a lot of pain to be endured. But just looking at the journey till now, I think it's been going really well from a recovery point of view. I felt like I couldn't face people and all, and I felt like I had to do something which gives me confidence."