“I was really missing him,” says Axar Patel, who is happy to see “Banter and Fun” resume with Rishabh Pant’s return

<p>All-around player Axar Patel of the Delhi Capitals said that since team captain Rishabh Pant returned, there has been more laughter and joking in the locker room.</p>
<p>Playing against the Punjab Kings on Saturday, DC, led by Pant, will begin their Indian Premier League 2024 campaign.</p>
<p><img decoding=”async” class=”alignnone wp-image-545388″ src=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/theindiaprint.com-i-was-really-missing-him-says-axar-patel-who-is-happy-to-see-banter-and-fun-resume.jpg” alt=”theindiaprint.com i was really missing him says axar patel who is happy to see banter and fun resume” width=”1015″ height=”761″ title=”"I was really missing him," says Axar Patel, who is happy to see "Banter and Fun" resume with Rishabh Pant's return 3″></p>
<p>On Wednesday, Axar arrived in Chandigarh with his DC colleagues.</p>
<p>All of them are returning after successful home and international campaigns. The team dynamic has been excellent. In a video posted by the team on social networking site X, Axar was reported as stating, “We had good, intense training sessions in Vizag before our opening game.”</p>
<p>“We are beginning again as we enter a new season. The coaches and I have mostly discussed plan implementation and, most importantly, how to keep things simple throughout the competition, as Axar stated.</p>
<p>“I know everyone would have said that having him back on the squad is fantastic, but I for one really missed him last year—both in our on- and off-field banter. Now that he’s returned, however, serious discussions about the game have been interspersed with all the humor and joy. This season, I simply want to spend more time having fun with him,” he said.</p>
<p>The comeback of DC captain Pant will also occur in the team’s first IPL 2024 matchup against PBKS. He will resume playing competitive cricket in December 2022, after a near-fatal injury.</p>
<p>Pant needed a lot of therapy and surgery since he had several injuries.</p>
<p>The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) granted the 26-year-old the go-ahead to play in the IPL earlier this month, and DC formally announced him as their captain.</p>
<p>The previous season, David Warner captained the team in Pant’s absence.</p>