Bengal's wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel has replaced Rishabh Pant in the Delhi Capitals squad, PTI has reported. The Delhi Capitals' regular skipper is currently recovering from injuries he sustained in accident that took place on the eve of new year. David Warner is set to lead DC in the upcoming IPL season while Axar Patel has been announced as the vice-captain.
As for Abishek Porel, he was part of the training camp of Delhi Capitals for quite some time along with three other wicketkeepers - Luvnith Sisodia, Sheldon Jackson and Vivek Singh. Eventually, the franchise zeroed in on the 20-year-old as Pant's replacement for the upcoming season. Earlier, DC head coach had stressed that it will be near impossible to get replacement for a player of Rishabh Pant's quality. There have also been reports that the Capitals are getting Manish Pandey and Sarfaraz Khan ready for the wicketkeeping role.
"So when we are talking about losing some power in middle-order, Aman Khan, Rovman Powell and someone like Axar Patel, whose batting has improved a lot in last 12 months, we will find ways to cover for Rishabh, but we will not get same quality player," Ponting had said.
Abishek Porel was part of India's U19 World Cup winning squad last year and made his debut at the domestic level across formats only last year. So far, he has played 16 first-class, 3 List A and 3 T20 matches. He is yet to stamp his authority as expected in the limited-overs format and has a good oppotunity now to rub shoulders with the likes of Ricky Ponting, the head coach, and other international stars in the DC squad.
Delhi Capitals squad for IPL 2023: Axar Patel, Prithvi Shaw, Anrich Nortje, David Warner (C), Mitchell Marsh, Sarfaraz Khan, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Mustafizur Rahman, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Chetan Sakariya, Lalit Yadav, Ripal Patel, Yash Dhull, Rovman Powell, Pravin Dubey, Lungi Ngidi, Vicky Ostwal, Aman Khan, Phil Salt, Ishant Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Manish Pandey, Rilee Rossouw, Abishek Porel
