India cricket star involved in near-fatal car crash receives huge career news

Rishabh Pant has been cleared to keep wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) from next month after recovering from a horrific car accident.

Indian wicketkeeper Pant was involved in a near-fatal car accident in December 2022 that required him to undergo multiple surgeries and kept him out of the 50-over World Cup on home soil last year.

Pant crashed his Mercedes SUV north of New Delhi, where a car crashed into a guardrail, overturned and caught fire.

He suffered multiple injuries, including a damaged ligament in his right knee, wrist and ankle injuries and scratches on his back. He has been in intensive rehabilitation ever since.

The Delhi Capitals captain was initially expected to play cleanly as a batsman in the 10-team IPL, which begins in Chennai on March 22.

It will be his first time playing since the accident.

“After undergoing an extensive 14-month rehabilitation and recovery process… Rishabh Pant has now been declared fit as wicketkeeper batsman for the upcoming IPL 2024,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a statement.

A strong showing in the IPL could earn the 26-year-old a place in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup in June.

Elsewhere, Mohammed Shami will miss the tournament due to heel surgery.

The bowler, who missed India’s recent home series against England and underwent surgery, is a doubt for the World Cup.

Seam bowler Prasidh Krishna has also been ruled out of the IPL with a quadriceps tendon injury.