Bengal wicketkeeper-batsman Abishek Porel is set to replace the injured Rishabh Pant at Delhi Capitals in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season, which begins on Friday.
Delhi Capitals has been concerned about finding an Indian replacement for Pant, who was involved in a horrific car accident late last year and has been ruled out of competitive cricket for at least a year.
“The DC is expected to propose Abishek Porel as Rishabh’s replacement for the current season.” He is only 21 and, under the tutelage of Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly, could be groomed as a backup option even after Rishabh returns,” an IPL source familiar with the situation told PTI on condition of anonymity.
However, maverick Mumbai player Sarfaraz Khan will be the Capitals’ No.1 keeper-batter for at least the first few games, as Phil Salt is unlikely to be used right away.
“As of now, it appears that Sarfaraz will start against the Lucknow Super Giants, and if the experiment is successful, he will continue,” a source said.
Salt’s issue could be his batting on a Kotla track that is not conducive to strokeplay. The ball would not come easily to the bat, and he would likely struggle against quality spinners.
The Delhi Capitals had summoned Bengal’s Porel, Karnataka’s Luvnith Sisodia, and Saurashtra’s domestic giant Sheldon Jackson for trials during its first camp in Kolkata, but it was undecided.
In Delhi, it also included Barinder Vivek Singh, the Railways’ second keeper after Upendra Yadav and a hard-hitting left-hander with a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy century.
Sisodia had his moments, but Porel is said to have impressed both Ponting and Ganguly during the trial games.
Porel has six half-centuries in 16 First-Class games this season, in addition to 66 dismissals with the gloves. Despite having only played three domestic matches, DC decided to invest in him.
Meanwhile, with Bangladesh leading Ireland 2-0 in the ongoing three-match series, DC believes the BCB (Bangladesh Cricket Board) will simply release Mustafizur Rahman before the first game on April 1.
The Ireland T20 series concluded on April 1, followed by a one-off Test match, but Mustafizur opted out of the traditional format to extend his white-ball career.
