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Each season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) presents a familiar tapestry of questions – Which team will be the most impressive? Who will fuel the national memers’ association's creativity? Which uncapped player will steal the limelight, in a manner that those who aren’t aware of who won the last Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, will become the staunchest proponents of India’s domestic circuit?
This edition is a slight deviation from the usual, in the sense that in addition to the customary, IPL 2024 presented an unhackneyed set of questions, which pertained to the 2024 T20 World Cup – India’s first real opportunity of healing the wounds from 19 November 2023.
A few of the major questions included – Who will be Rohit Sharma’s opening partner? Who will replace Mohammed Shami? Between Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube, who will be India’s seam-bowling all-rounder?
Who spoiled the thrill? Rishabh Pant.
The Knock That Knocked out Competition
The knock that catapulted Pant into a lead in the keepers’ race saw him scoring a 43-ball 88, in Delhi Capitals’ four-run triumph over Gujarat Titans on 24 April.
Before we revisit his innings, however, it is essential to contextualise with a few notable incidents.
To add to that, his team was in a precarious position when he came out to bat on Thursday – 44/3 in the sixth over. Pant had no option but to be cautious for a moment or two, scoring only seven runs off his first eight deliveries.
For all the scepticism about how influential he would be after recuperating from a horrific car accident, which kept him out of the sport for fifteen months, Pant has taken all but nine matches to score three half-centuries – his joint-highest in a season since 2018, and for the first time in nearly six years, breach the 80-run mark.
Why Is Rishabh Pant Leading the Race?
Besides Pant, there are five candidates for the wicketkeeper’s slot – Sanju Samson, KL Rahul, Dinesh Karthik, Ishan Kishan and Jitesh Sharma. The only two Indian wicketkeepers who are playing in IPL 2024 and are not in contention are – Mahendra Singh Dhoni, having retired from international cricket, and Wriddhiman Saha, having never played T20I cricket for India.
How the six candidates have fared at IPL 2024:
| Rishabh Pant | 342 | 48.85 | 161.32 |
| Sanju Samson | 314 | 62.8 | 152.42 |
| KL Rahul | 302 | 37.75 | 141.12 |
| Dinesh Karthik | 251 | 62.75 | 196.09 |
| Ishan Kishan | 192 | 24 | 168.42 |
| Jitesh Sharma | 128 | 16 | 125.49 |
Six Candidates on Paper, but Only Four Have Arrived at the Start Line
Now, let’s filter the candidates. For his inconsistent returns, highlighted by an underwhelming average of 24, Ishan Kishan is unlikely to be in the mix. Jitesh Sharma, who played nine T20Is in Pant’s absence, has blown his opportunity by scoring merely 128 runs in IPL 2024 so far.
This leaves the selectors with the quartet of Pant, Samson, Rahul and Karthik.
But come the T20 World Cup, India will need a keeper who bats in the middle-order, as the quartet of Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav are expected to occupy the first four positions.
The likeliest position for the Indian keeper is number five – where Pant has batted on four occasions this season, and has registered a couple of half-centuries. In fact, Pant is the only Indian to have scored over 150 runs at number five in this competition.
Leading Indian run-scorers at number 5 in IPL 2024:
| Rishabh Pant | 160 | 80 | 195.12 |
| Shivam Dube | 121 | 40.33 | 151.25 |
| Tilak Varma | 79 | 26.33 | 125.4 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 68 | 34 | 144.68 |
| Vijay Shankar | 55 | 18.33 | 114.58 |
At number five or lower, Pant has played 18 T20Is for India and has scored 325 runs at an average of 25 – far from impressive, but Samson has only scored 81 runs at an average of 20.2, whilst Rahul has never batted in those positions for India in T20Is.
Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson & KL Rahul's T20I numbers at number 5 or lower:
| Rishabh Pant | 325 | 25 | 124.5 |
| Sanju Samson | 81 | 20.2 | 106.6 |
| KL Rahul | NA | NA | NA |
And Then, There Were Two
The player we have not discussed yet is Dinesh Karthik. Indeed, with 251 runs at a staggering strike rate of 196.09, Karthik has, at 38 years and 10 months, thrown his hat into the ring.
Ahead of the IPL, BCCI secretary Jay Shah had stated Pant playing at the T20 World Cup will be a ‘big thing’ for India, as he is regarded as a ‘big asset.’ It seems that the big stars have all but aligned for the men in blue.
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