Star India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who was injured in a horrific car crash last month, is most likely to be out of action for the majority of 2023, according to an ESPNcricinfo report. According to the report, the latest medical update given to the BCCI regarding the player says that the impact of the car crash has torn all three key ligaments in Pant's knee, two of which were reconstructed recently while surgery on the third is expected after six weeks.
The report further added that the cricketer may be out of action for six months which not effectively means that he might be out of the IPL, while raising questions over his fitness ahead of the ODI World Cup at home in October-November.
Recently, former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said that Oant will miss the IPL. The India star suffered multiple injuries when he crashed his Mercedes SUV north of New Delhi before dawn on December 30. The car burst into flames and he was rescued by a bus driver and conductor. Pant is captain of the Delhi Capitals side in the annual two-month tournament, which is due to begin in late March or April with some of the biggest international stars of the game.
"Rishabh Pant will not be available for the IPL," Ganguly, who is due to join Delhi Capitals as director of cricket, was quoted as saying by broadcaster Sports Today.
"It will be a great IPL (for the team), we will do well but Rishabh Pant's injury will affect the Delhi Capitals," Ganguly said Tuesday.
After the accident, the 25-year-old was rushed to hospital and admitted for a few days before being airlifted to Mumbai for further treatment and surgery.
The Indian cricket board said that Pant suffered several injuries including a damaged ligament in his right knee, a hurt wrist and ankle, and abrasions on his back.
A wicketkeeper and flamboyant batter, Pant is a mainstay of the Test squad and has played a key role in some of India's most memorable wins in the last three years.
But his white-ball form has been indifferent in the last few months and, days before the crash, he was left out of the squads for the ongoing one-day internationals and T20s against Sri Lanka.