Delhi Capitals has announced that the injured Rishabh Pant has been replaced by the 20 year old West Bengal wicketkeeper batter, Abishek Porel after a trial of three young wicketkeeper batters under the Coach Ricky Ponting and Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly. Abishek Porel is a left handed batter similar to Rishabh Pant.
Abishek has played 3 matches so far in the SMAT and has scored only 22 runs. However, in one of those three matches has scored an unbeaten 20*. In first class cricket he has scored six half centuries in 26 innings with a best of 73 runs.
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Rishabh Pant was injured in a car accident on the eve of 2023 and since then he has been in the rehabilitation process. Pant can also miss the IPL 2024. Abhishek Porel is a like to like replacement for Rishabh Pant but can he replicate the same level of success as Pant is yet to be seen.
Three other uncapped wicketkeepers – Sheldon Jackson, Luvnith Sisodia and Vivek Singh – had been put through a series of match simulation exercises, apart from being monitored by the Capitals coaching group, headed by director of cricket Sourav Ganguly and head coach Ricky Ponting, over the past week before it was decided that Abishek Porel will replace Rishabh Pant.