Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant reached a key milestone with the franchise on Thursday, becoming the first player from the team to appear in 100 Indian Premier League matches. Pant achieved this feat in the match against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur; he had made his league debut with DC in 2015 and was named team captain in 2022.
Panting made a much-anticipated return to cricket in IPL 2024, ending a 14-month wait since his near-fatal car accident. THE Delhi Capitals The captain, contrary to previous reports, not only recorded full fitness but also retained his leadership role for the season, replacing David Warner who had captained in his place last year.
Before the clash against the Royals, Pant was tied with Amit Mishra for the most appearances for the Capitals (99). Here is the list of players with the most DC caps in IPL history (*denotes players still active for the franchise):
- Rishabh Pants – 100*
- Amit Mishra – 99
- Shreyas Iyer – 87
- David Warner – 82*
- Virender Sehwag – 79
In becoming the first DC player to notch 100 appearances, he also joined Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir, among other IPL stalwarts who also became the first to reach the triple-digit mark with a franchise. Here is the complete list of first players to reach 100 IPL matches for a team:
- Suresh Raina (CSK)
- Harbhajan Singh (MI)
- Virat Kohli (RCB)
- Gautam Gambhir(KKR)
- Ajinkya Rahane (RR)
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar (SRH)
- Rishabh Pants (DC)
Pant won the toss in Jaipur and elected to field as Delhi Capitals chase their first win of the season. The team faced a disappointing defeat against Punjab Kings in their season opener last week.
The wicketkeeper-batsman, in his first innings to bat since his return to play, may have scored only 18 off 13 deliveries but displayed a series of characteristic shots throughout his short stay in the territory. Pant also remained sharp behind the stumps and also showed his quick reflexes with a sharp dismissal against Jitesh Sharma.
Capitals eye improved season
Boosted by the arrival of Pant and the return of Anrich Nortje in the second match of the season against the Royals, the Delhi Capitals are expecting a much-improved season after finishing a dismal ninth place in 2023. RR, as to him, narrowly missed out on a playoff spot in the previous edition, but started the 2024 campaign with a solid 20-point win against Lucknow Super Giants.
