(Reuters) - Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant tamed his nerves to return to action in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday after 15 months out following a car accident, but the wicketkeeper-batsman had to settle for an opening defeat by Punjab Kings.

Pant was involved in a near-fatal crash in December 2022 that required him to have multiple surgeries and he missed last year's IPL as well as India's 50-overs World Cup campaign on home soil.