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IPL 2024, PBKS vs DC | Rishabh Pant Returns As Punjab Invite Delhi To Bat First

Debashis Sarangi

PBKS will bowl first vs DC [IPL.com]PBKS will bowl first vs DC [IPL.com]

In a significant development, Punjab Kings have won the toss and opted to bowl first in their IPL 2024 opener against Delhi Capitals at Mullanpur stadium in Mohali. The Kings have left out Nathan Ellis from their playing XI, roping in Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone and Kagiso Rabada as their four overseas players. 

At toss, Punjab Kings skipper Shikhar Dhawan stated that they would bowl first considering the fresh pitch at the recently-inaugurated Mullanpur stadium. 

"We are gonna field first. it's a new pitch and we haven't played much cricket here. So we would like the opposite team to come and bat first and then we can gauge the pitch more," Dhawan said. 

"We have made changes in the process and come up with better strategies and more stability. So of course, in the team, we're going to see that changes. And I'm sure those changes going to create a better impact this season. So we've got Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Livingstone, and Rabada as our four overseas players," he added. 

Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant stressed that they were anyways going to bat first and capitalise on the batting-friendly surface. He also reflected on his road to recovery from injuries sustained during an unfortunate car accident. 

"We would have batted first. The wicket is looking good. It may become slower as the game progresses. So we wanted to bat first. Really emotional time for me. But not thinking about it too much. Looking forward to playing my best and enjoying the moment," Pant said. 

"I'm not really worried about the last season. We are here for this season and looking to start afresh. Really exciting times. We are preparing really well. We are playing with four overseas batters. Warner, Marsh, Shai Hope and Stubbs," he concluded. 

Punjab Kings Playing XI: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Jonny Bairstow, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Shashank Singh, Harshal Patel, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh

Impact players: Prabhsimran Singh, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Tanay Thyagarajan, Rilee Rossouw

Delhi Capitals Playing XI: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Shai Hope, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Tristan Stubbs, Ricky Bhui, Axar Patel, Sumit Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed

Impact players: Abhishek Porel, Praveen Dubey, Vicky Ostwal, Mukesh Kumar, Jake Fraser-McGurk