Rishabh Pant won't played in IPL 2023, confirms Sourav Ganguly

Former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief Sourav Ganguly has confirmed Rishabh Pant will miss the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 and his absence will affect Delhi Capitals (DC).

Pant met with a freak accident last month on the Delhi-Dehradun highway when his Mercedes collided with a road divider. While Pant jumped out of the car, the vehicle soon burst into flames. The wicketkeeper-batsman is being treated at the Kokilaben Ambani Hospital, and his ligament injury is expected to heal in three to four months.

The IPL 2023 season is set to begin in the last week of March. If Pant, the captain of DC, cannot compete in the upcoming season, Australia's David Warner is expected to lead the side. Warner previously was the captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), who won the coveted title in 2016 under Warner's leadership.

"It will take time to heal. We cannot do anything. It's an accident. He is just 23. He has got a lot of time. Rishabh Pant will not be available for the IPL. I am in connection with DC. It will be a great IPL. We will do well. Pant's injury will affect DC," Ganguly told reporters in Kolkata.

Meanwhile, Ganguly, who stepped down as BCCI president last year, is expected to join DC as Director of Cricket.

Last year, Pant-led DC failed to make it to the playoffs, finishing fifth in the table with 14 points.

Soon after the accident, Pant was taken to Dehradun's Max Hospital, where he received emergency care before the BCCI airlifted him to Mumbai for further treatment.

"Rishabh has two cuts on his forehead, a ligament tear in his right knee and has also hurt his right wrist, ankle, toe and has suffered abrasion injuries on his back," the BCCI said in a statement last week.

Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala operated on Pant at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai. His knee surgery was complex as it involved both ACL & MCL surgeries.

"Rishabh Pant has successfully undergone knee ligament surgery on Friday. He will be under observation. Further course of action and rehabilitation will be advised by Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala and followed by the BCCI sports science and medicine team," a BCCI source was quoted as saying in an interview.

Pant was not part of the India squads for the T20I and ODI home series against Sri Lanka. He was due to head to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for strength and conditioning before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in February.

The 25-year-old Indian cricketer last played in the Test series in Bangladesh, which India won 2-0.