If reports doing the rounds are to be believed, Delhi Capitals could officially name Bengal wicket-keeper batter Abishek Porel as captain Rishabh Pant’s replacement for Indian Premier League 2023 anytime from now.
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Porel, 20, was among several uncapped wicket-keeper batters who attended a training camp at Capitals to find the closest potential replacement for a player who is practically impossible to replace due to his offerings as a wicket-keeper, batter and captain.
Are Ishan Porel and Abishek Porel related?
It is worth mentioning that Abishek Porel is the younger cousin of Bengal pacer Ishan Porel, 24. Apart from belonging to Chandannagar, another commonality between both the brothers is them getting selected in the Indian squad for ICC U-19 World Cups.
While Ishan had played four matches under Prithvi Shaw during the world event in 2018, Abishek was among the five players who were called up to West Indies after a COVID-19 outbreak had hit the Indian squad last year.
Abishek, who didn’t get to play an U-19 World Cup match, ended up ended up making his first-class debut for Bengal a few days after returning home. Both Ishan and Abishek played were part of Bengal’s Playing XI during Ranji Trophy 2022-23 final against Saurashtra last month. While Ishan was their second-highest wicket-taker this season, Abishek had chipped in with a couple of crucial half-centuries.
Elder brother Ishan Porel consoles Abishek Porel after Bengal lose a Ranji final for the second time in three seasons. pic.twitter.com/4UtVBSzvqP
— Sreshth Shah (@sreshthx) February 19, 2023
“Ishan da and I do not meet often as he is ways on tours with the teams he plays for. But, he backs me whenever I am down. He has always helped me stay positive and learn from the mistakes,” Abishek had spoken about Ishan’s influence in his career in an interview with SportzPoint before traveling to West Indies in 2022.
Who will keep wickets for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2023?
Also a left-handed batter like Pant, Abishek might not be handed an IPL debut right away. Readers must note that uncapped batter Sarfaraz Khan appears to be a front-runner for the wicket-keeper batter’s role at DC this season.
Other than Khan, Abishek will also have to contest against England batter Phil Salt for this particular role.
Ishan, meanwhile, isn’t part of any IPL squad at the moment. Having spent three seasons at Punjab Kings, the right-arm bowler had played a solitary match during the second phase of IPL 2021 in the UAE. Released by PBKS ahead of IPL 2023 auction, he wasn’t picked by any team in the latest auction.
