Delhi Capitals Captain Rishabh Pant blames Ishant Sharma's injury for IPL 2024 loss to Punjab Kings

In a gripping encounter marking the IPL debut of the new stadium in Mullanpur, Punjab, Delhi Capitals (DC) faced a setback in their opening match against the Punjab Kings (PBKS), with captain Rishabh Pant attributing their defeat to Ishant Sharma's untimely injury. Pant's remarks came during the post-match interaction after PBKS clinched victory with four wickets in hand in the final over, chasing down a target of 174 runs.

The 37-year-old Ishant Sharma, making his comeback after 15 months, displayed his prowess early on by dismissing PBKS captain Shikhar Dhawan and executing Jonny Bairstow's run-out. However, the veteran seamer suffered a setback in the sixth over, hobbling off the field due to injury, leaving DC a bowler short. This unexpected turn disrupted DC's strategy, compounded by a batting collapse earlier in the day, which left them without the option of availing an additional bowler as their Impact Player.

"Ishant's injury was clearly evident because we were anyway one player short because we lagged with the batting a bit," Pant lamented.

With Ishant sidelined, Pant was compelled to utilize the full quota of Mitchell Marsh, who conceded 52 runs, and also turn to Sumit Kumar for a couple of overs. DC had initially planned to include Mukesh Kumar as an Impact Player for added bowling depth, but circumstances forced a mid-innings adjustment. Abishek Porel, drafted in as an extra batter after DC's batting lineup struggled, made a significant impact by smashing 32 runs off just 10 balls, bolstering DC's total to 174.

"Abishek came in and chipped in with a few runs which were crucial. It was an amazing innings, congrats to him. I think it's just his third or fourth game but the kind of impact he made was huge. Really looking forward [to seeing him] this season," Pant praised Porel's contribution.