Ahead of the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League wherein IPL 2020 finalist Delhi Capitals will miss the services of the captain Rishabh Pant, the Delhi team management have signed Bengal wicketkeeper-batsman Abishek Porel as the replacement for the Capitals captain.
the Delhi Capitals team management which includes the franchise director of cricket Sourav Ganguly and head coach Ricky Ponting have taken uncapped India wicketkeeper batsmen like Sheldon Jackson, Vivek Singh Luvnith Sisodia, and Abishek Porel into consideration to replace Rishabh Pant for the IPL 2023. DC then decided to go ahead with Abishek Porel as Pant’s replacement in IPL 2023.
‘Wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel will be Rishabh Pant’s replacement for the TATA IPL 2023. Welcome to the DC family, Abishek,’ Delhi Capitals said in a statement. Porel joins Delhi Capitals for INR 20 Lakh.
Abishek Porel replaces Rishabh Pant
All the players went through a number of drills over the past few weeks and in the end, Porel was chosen by the Delhi management, however, his replacement is not yet confirmed.
Abishek Porel had an amazing domestic season playing for Bengal behind the wickets but was not able to score runs across all formats. The wicketkeeper-batsman has also played three Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches in which he has scored 22 runs. His top score in all three matches is a 20 not out.
Abishek Porel might still not get a chance to play in the Indian Premier League first phase as Sarfaraz Khan is also a wicketkeeping option for the franchise and has been in terrific nick with the bat in domestic cricket.
If we further talk about the Delhi Capitals so we will see David Warner leading the team in Rishabh Pant’s absence and Warner will now have a double responsibility on his shoulders as he will also open the batting for the franchise. The left-handed Aussie opener had a tremendous IPL 2022 with the bat and will look to repeat the same performance this season.
The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League will kickstart on March 31, 2023, with the opening encounter set to be played between the Chennai Super Kings and the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The IPL will return to its home and away matches format after the 2019 season as the last three seasons were either played in the UAE or on the selected venues due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
