IPL 2019: Three Indian Wicket-Keepers To Watch Out For

Another exciting edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is on the cards and people have already started talking over it. The auctions of IPL 2019 recently took place in Jaipur and the franchises have almost finalised their squad for the illustrious tournament. Meanwhile, the tournament will commence from March 23 in India, after much deliberation.

In the history of the tournament, we have seen many wicket-keepers taking the centre stage and the prime example is Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni. This edition will also see many wicket-keepers plying their trade in the showpiece tournament and will try to use this league to make a mark in front of the national selectors.

Here is the list of three Indian wicket-keepers to watch out for in IPL 2019:

RISHABH PANT

Delhi Capital’s will rely on their first choice wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant, who has been in terrific form in recent times. In his last tour to Australia, Pant finished as the second highest run-scorer after Cheteshwar Pujara. The southpaw scored 350 runs from four games at an average of 58.33. However, his unbeaten knock of 159 runs at Sydney grabbed everybody’s eyeballs which even forced former cricketers to compare him with legendary Adam Gilchrist.

In addition, Rishabh Pant was in good touch and will be a crucial component for Delhi in the upcoming season. In the 38 matches he has played in the IPL thus far, Pant has scored 1248 runs at an average of 35.66 and a phenomenal strike rate of 162.71.

SANJU SAMSON

Sanju Samson has taken giant strides scoring tons of runs in First Class and List A cricket. He was a crucial member of the Rajasthan Royals side last year, playing some crucial knocks with the bat. Although Jos Buttler donned the wicket-keeper’s hat, Sanju is one of the emerging wicketkeepers in the country.

The 24-year-old was extremely effective with the bat last season as he scored 441 runs in 15 matches at an average of 31.50 and strike rate of 137.81. He has also made his debut for India playing in a T20I game against Zimbabwe in 2015, but since then, he has struggled to be in the good books of the selectors. Also, fitness has been a significant issue for him.

However, he is one of the exciting young wicket-keepers in the country and Sanju will be in the watchlist of the spectators during IPL 2019.

ISHAN KISHAN

Ishan Kishan led India to the finals of the 2016 Under-19 World Cup; however, he failed to take his side all the way.  The 20-year-old has consistently improved through the years, both as batsman and wicketkeeper. As a result, he will hold high stakes in Mumbai Indians side for the upcoming edition of the league.

The cricketer from Jharkhand had a good time in the Ranji Trophy chipping in with both bat and with the gloves on. In the last game against England Lions, Ishan played two crucial unbeaten knocks which will boost his confidence.

He also had a good time in the last season of the league and will be keen to up his game in IPL 2019. So far, Ishan Kishan has played 30 games scoring 594 runs with the highest score of 64 runs.