Delhi Capitals’ wicket-keeper-batsman Rishabh Pant joined an elite list of players after slamming a breathtaking half-century during the team’s tournament opener against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

Pant scored an unbeaten 78 off 27 deliveries to power Delhi to 213/6 in 20 overs and his stunning innings included seven sixes and seven boundaries. Pant’s strike rate at the end of the innings read 288.8.

Due to his onslaught, Pant now finds himself at the tied 11 spot in the list of fastest fifties in the cash-rich league. The record of fastest fifty is with Kings XI Punjab’s KL Rahul who went past the 50-run mark off just 14 deliveries last season against Delhi.

Pant’s seven maximums also helped him enter a select group of players as he now stands at the joint fifth spot in the list of most sixes by a Delhi batsman in an innings in IPL.

Moreover, Pant’s strike rate of 288.8 is the third best by a Delhi batsman in the history of the competition. He is only behind Chris Morris and Carlos Brathwaite in this list.

This innings will certainly boost Pant’s confidence after putting on some underwhelming performances in the India shirt recently. Also, this might be the innings that changes his fortunes and helps him kick-start his bid to seal a spot in India’s world cup squad.

First Published: Mar 24, 2019 22:25 IST