CRICKET
3 players who could don gloves for DC as Rishabh Pant likely to play as specialist batter in IPL 2024
Rishabh Pant is likely to play as a pure batter in Delhi Capitals during IPL 2024. The move comes as the star cricketer is yet to recover fully from the accident he suffered in December 2022. The bad incident had ruled him out of cricket for more than a year. Pant is likely to return to action in the IPL 2024 for DC. The youngster is likely to lead DC and hand over the job of keeping the wickets to others.
Ricky Ponting confirmed that Pant would take part in the IPL 2024. But there was a doubt even in the mind of the coach of DC who hoped Pant to be fit to play for their side. However, it seems like the star batter might not been able to keep wickets yet. One needs to be agile enough to move either way and jump with intensity while keeping the wickets. Pant might not be able to do it at this point.
While Pant might need some time to don the gloves, DC would be happy with the fact that their skipper would be back in the side in some capacity. Pant is likely to bat in the middle order and lead the side. DC has a lot of options who can keep wickets for them. It is something they planned and went behind during the auction of the IPL 2024 where they bud a lot for the players who could keep wickets in different capacities.
Here are the three players in the squad of Delhi Capitals who can keep wickets for the side in case Pant does not keep.
Also check: Top 3 players who can replace Shreyas Iyer in remaining 3 Tests against England
3. Abhishek Porel
As Rishabh Pant is reported to play as a specialist batter, here are three players who could keep wickets for DC in IPL 2024 (Source: X)
Abhishek Porel kept wickets for DC in the IPL 2023. In the absence of Pant, Porel did well as a pure WK. He was robust when he donned gloves and took some stunning catches in the league. While his batting might keep him out of the side, given the options they have, Porel could come in handy as an impact player, where his role would be purely to keep the wickets. In fact, he did not bat in some of the matches in 2023.
2. Kumar Kushagra
As Rishabh Pant is reported to play as a specialist batter, here are three players who could keep wickets for DC in IPL 2024 (Source: X)
Kumar Kushagra is a talented WK batter. The youngster was picked for a price of a whopping INR 7.2 crores in the auction of the IPL 2024. He can bat well and is known for his wicket-keeping skills. If groomed well, both DC and India can benefit a lot from him. One thing that could go against the youngster would be his price tag. There would be a lot of pressure on him to perform to justify his price.
1. Tristan Stubbs
As Rishabh Pant is reported to play as a specialist batter, here are three players who could keep wickets for DC in IPL 2024 (Source: X)
Tristan Stubbs looks like the most probable replacement for Pant as a WK. Unlike the other two players, Stubbs has better exposure at the highest level and has experienced playing with a lot of expectations. In the recently concluded SA20 2024, he donned gloves for Sunrisers Eastern Cape and did a pretty job in his role in the title-winning campaign. He is a very good finisher and can be handy lower down the order.