Rishabh Pant says his "road to recovery has begun" following a serious car crash which he was "lucky to survive".

Local police said Pant's car collided with a road divider and then caught fire after the India wicketkeeper "dozed off" on January 30, near his hometown of Roorkee, Uttarakhand.

The 25-year-old was hospitalised with injuries to his head, back and legs, before he was later airlifted to Mumbai to undergo further surgery.

Swapn Kishore Singh, superintendent of Haridwar rural police, told the Times of India Pant was "lucky to survive" the crash, with pictures of the cricketer's wrecked car widely shared on social media.

Pant reported on Monday his surgery had been a success and showed gratitude for the well-wishes he had received, saying on Twitter: "I am humbled and grateful for all the support and good wishes.

"I am glad to let you know that my surgery was a success.

"The road to recovery has begun and I am ready for the challenges ahead.

"From the bottom of my heart, I also would like to thank all my fans, team-mates, doctors and the physios for your kind words and encouragement.

"[I am] looking forward to see you all on the field."

India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant was "lucky to survive" after being injured in a serious car crash near his hometown of Roorkee, Uttarakhand on Friday.

The Delhi Capitals, Pant's Indian Premier League franchise, confirmed he had been moved to a second hospital following the incident that occurred between the towns of Manglaur and Narsan.

Local police said Pant's car collided with a road divider and caught fire, with images of the wrecked vehicle widely shared on social media.

"Pant sustained injuries on his forehead, a hand and right knee," said Swapn Kishor Singh, superintendent of Haridwar rural police, according to the Times of India.

"However, he is conscious and able to talk. The car he was driving was completely burnt. He is lucky to survive the severe accident."

Dr Dishant Yagnik, medical superintendent of Max Hospital in Dehradun, addressed media outlets outside the facility as he allayed fears over Pant's condition.

"We are still examining him. He is stable at the moment, there doesn't appear to be cause for major worry. Once the evaluation is complete, we will put out a detailed bulletin," he said.

"He is conscious, and he is talking, and the doctors are examining wherever he is saying there is discomfort.

"Orthopaedics and plastic surgeons are looking at him right now. And we are examining for any internal injuries."

Jay Shah, general secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), provided an update on social media, adamant Pant will get the required assistance from the BCCI.

"My thoughts and prayers are with Rishabh Pant as he fights his way back to recovery," Shah wrote.

"I have spoken to his family and the doctors treating him. Rishabh is stable and undergoing scans. We are closely monitoring his progress and will provide him with all the necessary support."

Pant represented India as recently as Sunday, when his haul of 93 runs led them to a second-Test victory over Bangladesh, sealing a 2-0 series win.

Delhi Capitals sealed a big victory in the race for the playoffs against Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League on Monday, thanks largely to the efforts of Mitchell Marsh and Shardul Thakur.

Marsh top-scored with 63 runs as the Capitals posted a target of 160, which the Kings never realistically looked like reaching, in part due to Shardul's outstanding four-wicket haul.

Things could not have started in worse fashion for the Capitals, with David Warner out first ball to Liam Livingstone (3-27).

However, Sarfaraz Khan (32) and Marsh steadied the ship with a partnership of 51, while Marsh and Lalit Yadav (24) added a further 47 to the total, with Arshdeep Singh (3-37) taking the wickets of both Khan and Yadav.

Livingstone then struck twice to remove Rishabh Pant (7) and Rovman Powell (2), before Kagiso Rabada finally claimed Marsh for 63 off 48 balls with 10 deliveries remaining.

Jonny Bairstow (28) and Shikhar Dhawan (19) made a good start to the reply with a partnership of 38 inside four overs before the England man fell to Anrich Nortje.

There soon followed a collapse for the Kings, who quickly went from 53-1 to 67-6 with only Jitesh Sharma showing any sign of sticking around.

He and Rahul Chahar (25) calmed things down to claim 41 from five overs before Jitesh fell for 44 from 34 balls, and although the Kings avoided losing all 10 wickets, Shardul (4-36) completed a strong bowling spell to comfortably close the game out for a 17-run victory, moving the Capitals to fourth in the table.

Shardul leads joint-bowling effort

While Shardul will get the headlines with his four wickets, there was some tremendous economic bowling on display elsewhere in the Capitals' attack.

Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav both posted figures of 2-14, with the former doing so from four overs at a rate of just 3.50, conceding just one boundary.

Kings suffer with the bat

Bairstow, Dhawan, Jitesh, and Chahar aside, the Kings really let themselves down with the bat.

Only one of the top five batsmen in the order hit a six (Bairstow), while no other batsman aside from the aforementioned quartet scored more than six overall.

David Warner was in inspirational form as he spearheaded the Delhi Capitals to a 21-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad to boost their playoff hopes in the Indian Premier League.

Warner issued a rallying cry to the Capitals' top order on Wednesday with the franchise in danger of missing out on a spot in the next round.

And it was as if he felt the need to lead by example as he produced a stellar showing, hitting 92 not out to break the record for most T20 half-centuries in history as the Capitals set a significant target of 207-3.

It was just as well Warner was so sharp as the Capitals endured a difficult start when fellow opener Mandeep Singh was removed for a duck by Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1-25) on the fifth ball – Mitchell Marsh (10) did not last much longer.

Captain Rishabh Pant proved a reasonable partner to Warner with 26 off 16 balls before falling to Shreyas Gopal (1-34), but that would prove to be the final Capitals wicket to tumble.

Rovman Powell (67 not out) and Warner put on a stand of 122 as the Capitals surpassed 200, with Umran Malik (0-52) and Kartik Tyagi (0-37) in particular toiled with the ball.

Sunrisers' chase did not start especially well as Abhishek Sharma and Kane Williamson put on just 11 between them – Rahul Tripathi at least managed double that figure, but they needed more.

Aiden Markram (42) and Nicholas Pooran (62) at least offered some resistance with their 60-run stand, but hope dissolved after the former skied a delivery from the excellent Khaleel Ahmed (3-30) into the hands of Kuldeep Yadav.

Although Pooran managed to reach his half-century, no one else added more than 10 as Sunrisers fell well short at 186-8.

Warner makes history

This was Warner's fourth half-century of the season and comfortably his biggest total (by 26 runs), but the focus was on his new record as he surpassed Chris Gayle (88) for the most 50s in T20 cricket.

After managing a disappointing three last time out, Warner's display here was a timely response against his former team. His haul came from just 58 balls and included 15 boundaries, three of which were maximums. Warner certainly did not do it all himself, as Powell's contribution was significant, but it was some showing.

All pace no precision?

Malik recorded the second-fastest ball in IPL history in the 20th over of the Capitals' innings, the delivery clocking 157 kilometres per hour. But, in general, he did not enjoy a great day.

The Capitals totalled 52 runs against him, more than any other bowler, and he did not claim a single wicket.

Rovman Powell hit 33 off 16 balls to ensure the Delhi Capitals sealed a four-wicket victory against the Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday.

A knock of 42 from David Warner had helped to set the table for Powell, with the Capitals condemning the Knight Riders to their fifth straight loss in the Indian Premier League.

Kolkata mostly struggled with the bat themselves, with captain Shreyas Iyer the only man to show any resistance in the early stages with 42, while Nitish Rana added a much-needed 57 later on.

Apart from Rinku Singh's 23, no other Knight Rider managed double figures, and they were only able to reach 146-9 from their 20 overs.

Prithvi Shaw was out first ball for Delhi in reply, caught and bowled by Umesh Yadav (3-24), but Warner was able to guide his team through the early overs to build a base for the chase.

The Capitals did enter panic mode slightly as they went from 82-2 to 84-5, with skipper Rishabh Pant out for just two.

However, Powell and Axar Patel (24) calmed things down, with Powell the aggressor with one four and three sixes as he saw his team home with an over the spare.

Batting woes for Knight Riders

If you bat first in T20 cricket, you better set a big total, even if just to put an element of doubt in the chasing team's minds.

It's not that 146 is a poor total, but that almost all the runs came from just three batsmen was the real issue for Kolkata.

Six others came and went without making more than six runs, with Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Tim Southee all falling for ducks.

Tight bowling the difference

It would be harsh to dismiss those batting failures without crediting the bowling that caused them. Delhi's attack was fierce at the Wankhede Stadium.

Mustafizur Rahman (3-18) and Kuldeep Yadav (4-14) were particularly impressive, with the former bowling 14 dot balls in his four-over spell.

Dinesh Karthik led the way with strong support from Glenn Maxwell and Josh Hazlewood as Royal Challengers Bangalore snatched a 16-run win over Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League.

After losing last time out to the previously winless Chennai Super Kings, Bangalore were in big trouble early in Saturday's game when they slipped to 92-5.

Maxwell was the only batter among the top five to make a substantial contribution, and when he fell for 55 in the 12th over it looked a tall order for the team to post a healthy total.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Karthik had other ideas though, and together with Shahbaz Ahmed, who made 32 from 21 balls, he took on the Delhi attack with gusto.

Karthik bludgeoned 66 not out from 34 balls, with five fours and five sixes, taking 28 off the 18th over as Mustafizur Rahman came in for brutal treatment.

A total of 189-5 still looked on the low side as Delhi made a fast start to their reply, but losing David Warner for 66, lbw to Wanindu Hasaranga, heralded the start of a collapse from 94-1 to 115-5.

Rishabh Pant looked to have his eye in but fell to a sharp catch by Virat Kohli as the Capitals saw victory hopes ebb away at the Wankhede Stadium, stalling on 173-7 in the end.

Karthik overshadows Maxwell's milestone knock

It was going to take something special to top Maxwell's 34-ball effort, in what was the Australian's 100th IPL game, and Karthik duly came up with a spectacular innings.

The veteran is proving highly successful in the role of finisher, and because he has been dismissed just once in this year's IPL, his batting average stands at 197, the highest of all players.

Hurrah for Hazlewood

Hazlewood took 3-28 and removed Rovman Powell and Lalit Yadav in the same over as Delhi began to crumble.

This was just the Australia paceman's second game of the 2022 IPL campaign and it boded well for what he might offer for the rest of the campaign. For now, this win lifts Bangalore to third place with four wins from six matches, while Delhi sit eighth.

The Delhi Capitals put in their best performance of the season with bat and ball to secure a comfortable 44-run win against top of the table Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League.

The Capitals made a strong start, reaching 148-1 within 13 overs after Prithvi Shaw and David Warner had caused some damage, with Rishabh Pant continuing the good work after Shaw fell for 51.

However, a minor batting collapse saw them slip to 166-5, with Warner eventually out for 61 after he could only find Ajinkya Rahane on the boundary off the bowling of Umesh Yadav (1-48).

Axar Patel (22 not out) and Shardul Thakur (29 not out) rescued the innings, though, smashing an additional 49 to set the Knight Riders an imposing total of 216 for victory.

Venkatesh Iyer looked to be setting the tone at the start of Kolkata's reply, hitting 18 from eight balls before falling to Khaleel Ahmed (3-25), who also took the wicket of Rahane (8) shortly after.

Shreyas Iyer (54) and Nitish Rana (30) tried to build a foundation for the chase, before both fell in the 12th and 13th overs.

Sam Billings could only manage 15 before hitting Ahmed to Lalit Yadav, before Kuldeep Yadav (4-35) took three wickets in his last four balls to extinguish any hope for the Knight Riders, who were eventually all out for 171.

Warner and Shardul lead the way

After making just four from 12 balls in his first game of the IPL season against the Lucknow Super Giants, Warner found his form here as he hit 61 from 45 balls, including six fours and two sixes.

Shardul also plundered an important 29 from 11, hitting Pat Cummins for six off the last ball, one of three maximums he managed in his short time at the crease, before also going on to take 2-30 with the ball.

Cummins struggles continue

It has not been the start to his IPL season that Cummins will have hoped for with the ball, having conceded 100 runs from eight overs so far.

The Australia Test captain took 2-49 last time out against Mumbai Indians, but only managed 0-51 from his four overs here, being hit for three sixes.

A strong bowling performance from Lockie Ferguson saw the Gujarat Titans secure their second win of this year's Indian Premier League as they overcame the Delhi Capitals by 14 runs in Pune.

The New Zealander took 4-28 from his four overs as the Titans kept their opponents well away from their set target of 172.

Their own innings did not get off to the best of starts, with Matthew Wade (1) out in the first over to Mustafizur Rahman as he tried to scoop the ball over his shoulder, but only edging through to Rishabh Pant.

Shubman Gill did lead the way with the bat, though, hitting 84 from 46 balls, accompanied by solid efforts from Hardik Pandya (31) and David Miller (20) as the Titans ended on 171-6 from their 20 overs.

After losing Tim Seifert (3) early on, the Capitals never really looked like reaching the target, with Pant (43) the only man to score more than 25, before he became another of Ferguson's victims.

Delhi suffered their first defeat of the season after only reaching 157-9 from their 20 overs, while Gujarat keep up their perfect start to life in the IPL.

Gill improves on previous outing

Shubman Gill will have been relieved to see his team-mates score the runs to seal the win in their opening game against the Lucknow Super Giants after he fell for a third-ball duck.

However, he more than made up for it here with a tremendous knock of 84, including six fours and four sixes to help his team post an ultimately winning total.

Fergie time for Lockie

Ferguson set the tone by taking the wicket of Prithvi Shaw (10) with his first ball, before also picking up the crucial scalps of Mandeep Singh (18), Pant and Axar Patel (8).

Much like Gill, it was a big improvement from his 0-24 in the Titans' first game against the Super Giants.

Delhi Capitals secured an impressive opening victory in the Indian Premier League against Mumbai Indians at Brabourne Stadium, beating the five-time champions by four wickets.

Despite missing David Warner, Mitchell Marsh and Anrich Nortje, the Capitals ultimately eased to victory, with Lalit Yadav (47 not out) and Axar Patel (38 not out) rescuing what had looked like a precarious situation.

An impressive 81 from 48 balls from Ishan Kishan helped the hosts on their way to 177-5 from their 20 overs, and they then reduced the Capitals to 104-6 from 13.2 overs, only for a partnership of 75 off the next five overs from Lalit and Axar to see the visitors home.

Kishan put on an opening stand of 67 with Indians captain Rohit Sharma (41) before the latter hit Kuldeep Yadav (3-18) to Rovman Powell.

Delhi appeared to be back in contention when the dangerous Kieron Pollard was caught brilliantly by Tim Seifert, the fielder taking a diving two-handed catch to his left to dismiss the Trinidadian for just three, but Tim David (12) played the support role for Kishan to do the damage, hitting 11 fours and two sixes.

Prithvi Shaw (38) and Seifert (21) made a promising start in reply before New Zealander Seifert was bowled by Murugan Ashwin, with Mandeep Singh following two balls later for a duck.

Capitals coach Ricky Ponting looked concerned on the sidelines when skipper Rishabh Pant hit a Tymal Mills delivery straight to David for just one, but Lalit and Axar eventually put on a show to see their team to victory.

Axar makes amends with the bat

Axar had not had the best of times with the ball in hand, going for 40 from his four overs without taking a wicket.

However, he more than made up for it with the bat as he smacked 38 from just 17 balls, including three sixes and the winning four to see his side to victory.

Sams has day to forget

Someone else who did not enjoy bowling was Daniel Sams, who went for 57 without taking a wicket from his four overs, including conceding nine boundaries (six fours, three sixes).

The game looked like it was drifting heavily towards Delhi's favour anyway, but that was confirmed when the Australian's final over went for 24.

Andre Russell and Odean Smith starred with both bat and ball as the Deccan Gladiators defeated Dwayne Bravos’s Delhi Bulls by 17 runs in the first qualifier of the Abu Dhabi T10 on Friday.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.