Concerns Over Rishabh Pant's Hand Injury During IPL Clash

Rishabh Pant, captain of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), appeared to be dealing with a right hand injury during their recent Indian Premier League (IPL) match against the Delhi Capitals. The issue became evident when he arrived for the coin toss with his right hand taped, initially causing little alarm. However, questions arose when the left-handed batter didn’t step in to bat mid-order as expected.

Pant eventually entered the game in the final over of the LSG innings following Ayush Badoni’s dismissal, only to be clean bowled for a duck by Mukesh Kumar. Notably, this marked the first instance in his last 113 IPL appearances that Pant batted at No.7 or lower. The last time he did this was in his debut season in 2016, where he batted in this position twice.

Although Pant seemed fine during LSG’s nail-biting two-run victory over the Rajasthan Royals earlier, it appears he may have injured his right wrist during training sessions. Despite Pant’s reassurance of “Hand is okay” at the coin toss, his decision to delay his batting suggests otherwise.

As a left-handed player, Pant relies heavily on his right hand for power, indicating his cautious approach to avoiding further strain due to the tournament’s duration. Nonetheless, he continued to perform his wicketkeeping duties for LSG in the second innings.