IPL 2021: Rishabh Pant tickles umpire Anil Chaudhary ahead of Qualifier 2 vs KKR; Watch

Indian wicketkeeper and DC skipper Rishabh Pant was spotted having some fun with umpire Anil Chaudhary ahead of the Qualifier 2 match between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday. In a video that is being widely shared on social media, Pant can be seen tickling the umpire from the back before surprising him from the front. The incident took place as Ravichandran Ashwin was having a look at the pack of balls that Chaudhary was carrying. 

Pant is known for his mischievous behaviour as he is often seen playing pranks on his teammates and other members of the support staff. Recently, during a match between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, Pant was seen fake crying after Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to field first. As soon as the result of the toss was revealed, Pant was seen fake crying as Virat Kohli was asked to make a decision first. 

Earlier this year, during a match against Mumbai Indians, Pant was seen tickling Rohit Sharma's stomach at the toss. The incident was caught on camera and was immediately picked by netizens, who started sharing memes and jokes on Twitter. Pant is often seen making mischievous moves on and off the field as fans would remember his imitation of DC coach Ricky Ponting during one of the latter's mid-match interviews last year. 

DC vs KKR: Qualifier 2

Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders, led by mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, produced a clinical bowling display on a slow pitch to restrict Delhi Capitals to 135 for 5 in their IPL Qualifier 2 in Sharjah on Wednesday.

Sent in to bat, DC batters struggled on a sluggish pitch with the KKR bowlers bowling a tight line and length. Opener Shikhar Dhawan top-scored with a 39-ball 36 while Shreyas Iyer remained not out on 30 off 27 balls. Chakravarthy took two wickets for 26 runs while Lockie Ferguson and Shivam Mavi got one each.

DC were 83 for 3 in the 15th over when captain Rishabh Pant (6) came in and he disappointed in a crucial match as he went for a big shot the next over only to balloon a Ferguson delivery for Rahul Tripathi to take a regulation catch. 

There was no lack of drama as Shimron Hetmyer was caught by Shubman Gill off Chakravarthy in the 17th over but it turned out to be a no-ball.  DC managed to score 36 runs in the last three overs to put up a decent total in the end.

(With PTI inputs)

Image: IPL/Twitter/@Beamer15558576