IPL 2023: Rishabh Pant replaced by 20-year-old Bengal wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel

Delhi Capitals (DC) have named 20-year-old Bengal wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel as Rishabh Pant's replacement for the IPL 2023 season. Pant, Delhi's regular captain, has been ruled due to the multiple injuries he suffered following a fatal car crash in December.

Porel grabbed attention during the warm-up games in which he impressed the Delhi Capitals management. Notably, a couple of DC camps were held in Kolkata and the likes of Sourav Ganguly, the former Bengal and India captain, were present at the venue.

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The left-hand batter, the younger brother of Bengal pacer Ishan Porel, has played 19 first-class matches and scored 695 runs at an average of 30.21. In the three List A matches Porel has played, he has scored 54 runs in one innings. Also, he has featured in three T20 games, scoring 22 at an average of 11.

In the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 season, Porel hit a fifty each in the semi-final and final against Madhya Pradesh and Saurashtra respectively. Overall, he scored 336 runs in 10 matches at an average of 25.84.

Porel was among five junior cricketers who joined India’s squad in the U-19 World Cup 2022 as backup for those who have tested positive for Covid-19. His call-up had come on the back of his superb performance in the Cooch Behar Trophy in which he scored 708 runs in five matches at an average of 101.14.

Delhi Capitals are yet to decide who will keep the wickets in the absence of Rishabh Pant. England wicketkeeper-batter Phil Salt and Sarfaraz Khan are not set to face competition from young Porel.

“We haven’t decided that yet. Sarfaraz (Khan) has joined us, and we’ll look at the practice games ahead to decide that. That’s one big hole Rishabh leaves behind. With the impact player rule coming in, we can use (it) a number of ways," head coach Ricky Ponting had said recently.

Delhi Capitals will be led by David Warner in the IPL 2023 and they face Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their first match of the season on April 1.