IPL 2023: Delhi Capitals name Abishek Porel as Rishabh Pant’s replacement; Sandeep Warrier replaces Jasprit Bumrah at Mumbai Indians

Sandeep Warrier. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Ahead of the eagerly-awaited 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians have roped in Abishek Porel and Sandeep Warrier as replacements for injured Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah, respectively.

Wicketkeeper-batter Porel will don the Delhi Capitals outfit as he joins the side for INR 20 Lakh. On the other hand, the five-time IPL winners have signed Warrier for INR 50 Lakh. The like-for-like changes are done in order to cover Bumrah, who is recovering from a back injury, and Pant, who met with a car accident and sustained multiple injuries in December.

Notably, Delhi have three keeper-batters for the upcoming season in the form of Sarfaraz Khan, Phil Salt, and Manish Pandey. The management decided to further bolster the wicketkeeping position with the addition of the 20-year-old Bengal keeper-batter Porel, who has played 16 First-Class games in addition to 3 List A matches and as many T20s for Bengal.

However, the Capitals could likely field Sarfaraz as behind the wickets going ahead this season. Similarly, Mumbai have been fretting about a campaign without their premier pacer Bumrah. They have bought Warrier on board, the pacer who has featured in 68 T20s and scalped 62 wickets and has fair bit of experience of playing in the lucrative T20 competition.

Gujarat Titans kickstart title defence in Ahmedabad

The season will be up and running as defending champions Gujarat Titans play four-time winners Chennai Super Kings on March 31. As league cricket is set to take over the nation by storm, the extravagant event will begin with the opening ceremony filled with a star-studded line-up following which the action begins on the field.

Gujarat have done a fair job in the mini-auction and got an upgraded squad for the season. While the franchise looks well-rounded on paper, it remains to be seen if they can add another title in their cabinet. On the other hand, MS Dhoni’s Super Kings will be gunning to make a comeback in a resounding fashion and add fifth title to their illustrious cabinet.