A close ally of India keeper-batter Rishabh Pant, Ponting admits how he once felt Pant could never play cricket again following his horrific road accident. Pant suffered multiple fractures and countless injuries in a road accident on New Year's Eve in 2022, ruling him out of competitive cricket for more than a year. Such was his state following the car crash that he had to be pulled out of the vehicle before it caught fire. Per the onlookers, Pant almost lost his life. Speaking on the same lines, Ponting, who was at DC then, said looking at Pant's condition, he didn't believe the India star could pick up a bat again. However, he admits feeling very emotional about watching Pant standing on his feet and returning to the cricket field.   Just ahead of the IPL 2024, the NCA cleared Pant to partake in the 17th edition, although DC Director of Cricket, Sourav Ganguly, said Pant would play as a batter and not keep wickets. The swashbuckling batter returned in style, scoring over 400 runs for the team and doing relatively okay behind the stumps. Though Pant failed to lead his team to the playoffs, he won his maiden ICC title with India - the T20 World Cup in the Americas last month. In an exclusive chat with Cricbuzz, Ponting talked about Pant, saying, "I mean what Rishabh's been through last year is one that's probably the most emotional, with how close I was with him and what he went through and the fear of all of us that he might not play cricket again. Seeing him back and doing what he's doing and leading DC, I think it's a pretty emotional time for everyone," Ponting said. Time to return to IPL Shortly after Ponting and Delhi mutually decide to part ways, Ponting is on record saying he does not rule out a potential return to the league, but with some other franchise this time. Considering IPL's mega auction is a hot topic nowadays and several franchises seeking coaches and mentors, Ponting is not far from bagging a deal elsewhere. "So it is what it is, we've decided to part ways, and we decided to move on, but that doesn't mean that I won't be coaching again. I'm very keen to get back involved in the IPL. There might be a few opportunities coming up and we'll see what happens over the next few weeks," Ponting noted. He, however, feels grateful for his time at Delhi for the past six seasons, where he failed to lead the team to an IPL trophy even once. "I had a great time there. DC, for me, was like my second home, and my family was there with me for a month or five weeks in the last three or four years. It hasn't always been the most successful franchise. So, we tried to build a real family-inclusive environment where everyone was treated the same, and everyone was on the same page," Ponting added.