In their first match of IPL 2024 against Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Capitals faced a setback, despite the return of Rishabh Pant, who struggled to find his form. Pant was dismissed for 18 runs off 13 balls, contributing to the team’s total of 174/9 while batting first. Apart from Shai Hope and Abhishek Porel, no other batsmen managed to score more than 30 runs, with Hope top-scoring with 33 runs and Porel adding 32 runs.

The decision to leave out Prithvi Shaw in favor of Shai Hope received criticism from fans, especially as the team failed to chase down Punjab’s target of 177 runs. Sam Curran led the scoring for Kings XI Punjab with 63 runs, supported by Liam Livingstone (38 runs) and Shikhar Dhawan (22 runs).

One surprising performance came from Mitchell Marsh, who conceded 52 runs in his four overs spell and scored just 20 runs off 12 balls while opening the batting. Despite Khaleel Ahmed taking two wickets, he leaked 44 runs in his four overs. Kuldeep Yadav was the only bowler who kept Kings XI Punjab under control, conceding just 20 runs in his four overs while also bagging two wickets.

With Rishabh Pant’s return, Delhi Capitals will aim for a comeback, especially as Pant eyes a return to the Indian team after surviving a deadly accident last year. Under the mentorship of Ricky Ponting, the franchise, which has previously reached the knockouts against Mumbai Indians, will strive to field their strongest XI.

However, fans expressed disappointment and strongly criticized the franchise on Twitter for poor decisions on-field, inadequate management, and a lackluster batting display, flooding the platform with memes and criticism directed at Ricky Ponting, Rishabh Pant, and the Delhi Capitals franchise.

 

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TOPICS: Delhi Capitals Ricky Ponting Rishabh Pant