Delhi Capitals on Sunday registered their first win in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 as they defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 20 runs in Visakhapatnam. Rishabh Pant & Co. produced an all-round show at their second home, the ACA-VDA Stadium, to outsmart the defending champions and collect their first points.
Openers David Warner and Prithvi Shaw overcame a slow start to share a 93-run opening stand before Pant’s 32-ball 51 powered DC to a competitive 191 for 5. Later, left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed (2/21) set the tone for DC’s defence with his twin strikes in the Powerplay which wad followed by pacer Mukesh Kumar’s superb spell that saw him finish with bowling figures of 3/21.
Pant returned to competitive cricket in this IPL after recovering from a life-threatening road mishap in December 2022, and this was his first fifty in three games this season. Speaking at the post-match presentation, he said he always had the belief that he would return to the field.
“One and a half years…this is something I have built my life on. I still have to keep learning as a cricketer. I had self-belief that whatever happens, I have to come back to the ground and I didn’t think about anything else,” Pant said during the post-match presentation.
“As a cricketer, I’ve to give my 100 percent. Took some time initially as I haven’t played much cricket in the last one-and-a-half years,” he added.
