Delhi Capitals likely to sign Abishek Porel as Rishabh Pant’s replacement

According to ESPNcricinfo, the Delhi Capitals are likely to sign Bengal’s Abishek Porel as a replacement for injured wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. The Delhi Capitals will begin their IPL 2023 campaign on April 1 against the Lucknow Super Giants. Porel’s signing, which has yet to be formally confirmed, comes after several training matches at a week-long training camp in New Delhi.

Porel and three other uncapped wicketkeepers, Sheldon Jackson, Luvnith Sisodia, and Vivek Singh, have been put through a series of match simulation drills over the past week, in addition to being observed by the Capitals coaching staff, which is led by the director of cricket Sourav Ganguly and head coach Ricky Ponting.

Porel’s signing by the Capitals comes after his first full domestic cricket season with Bengal, where he was impressed with his glove work but struggled to score big runs across formats. He scored 22 runs in three Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy games, including an undefeated knock of 20. In first-class cricket, he has slightly better statistics, with six half-centuries in 26 innings and a best of 73.

Porel could still be a backup wicketkeeper option, as the team is eager to put Sarfaraz Khan to the test. Sarfaraz has been in great batting shape for the past three domestic seasons.