Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul are two of the frontrunners for the wicketkeeper position for Team India at the 2024 T20 World Cup. The two glovesmen are very different as players but have followed a similar career path, starting as explosive batsmen and eventually becoming captains of their respective Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises.
The two candidates will soon go head-to-head in the upcoming IPL clash between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Delhi Capitals (DC). The two franchises have had contrasting starts to the season, as have the two captains.
Another aspect that links the two players is the fact that they have just returned from injury. Rishabh Pant was sidelined for an extended period after his unfortunate car accident in December 2022.
KL Rahul, on the other hand, suffered a quadriceps problem during the home Test series against England. He also played as an opener in the IPL to manage his workload but is likely to play an all-round role for the rest of the season to stake his claim for India's T20 World Cup squad.
Both Pant and Rahul have established themselves over the years as some of the best wicket-keepers in the league, so let's compare their IPL records.
Since batting at the top of the order, KL Rahul has been one of the highest scorers
KL Rahul's start in the IPL was a bit erratic as he bounced between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). In his first four years in the league, he failed to cross the 400-run mark as he struggled in the middle order.
He had a productive season in 2018, his first for Kings XI Punjab (now renamed Punjab Kings). He scored 659 runs at a strike rate of 158.41, and that was just the beginning.
Rahul went on to score over 590 runs in each of the seasons from 2018 to 2022, a period in which he was a regular for India's white-ball team and took over the captaincy of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) after the 2022 mega auction.
His efforts in the 2020 season, where he top-scored with 670 runs, even earned him the Orange Cap. In the 2023 season, he was injured midway through the season, ending his elite run-scoring streak.
In all, he has scored 4,289 runs in 122 league games, at an average of 46.12 and a strike rate of 134.24.
KL Rahul also has a fine record as captain, leading Lucknow Super Giants to the play-offs in their inaugural season in 2022. He has captained a total of 54 matches in the competition and has a win percentage of just over 50 per cent, having won 28 of them.
He has 46 catches and five stumpings to his name.
In his prolific IPL career, Rishabh Pant has been a dynamic player
The flamboyant player was snapped up by Delhi Daredevils (now renamed Delhi Capitals) after his exploits at the 2016 U-19 World Cup. Much like KL Rahul, he had an exceptional campaign in 2018 after a couple of good seasons to start with.
Pant scored 684 runs in 14 matches during the season at a strike rate of 173.60 and an average of 52.62. His incredible heroics earned him the Emerging Player of the Season award.
His good form continued in the following season, when he scored 488 runs and maintained his high strike rate.
However, Pant had a forgettable season in 2020 as Delhi Capitals (DC) reached the final for the first time. He finished with just 343 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 113.95.
With a string of mediocre campaigns behind him, Pant will be ready to go after a promising start to the 2024 season. In all, he has scored 2,991 runs in 103 innings at an average of 30.60 and a strike rate of 148.29.
The left-hander was then handed the DC captaincy in the 2021 season when Shreyas Iyer was injured. He then held on to the post as he was retained by the franchise ahead of the 2022 season.
Pant was unable to captain DC in 2023 as he was still recovering from his accident, and he has returned as captain in the current 2024 edition. His captaincy record is similar to that of KL Rahul, with a winning percentage of just over 50 per cent.
Pant has captained DC in 35 matches since 2021 and has 18 wins to his name. As for his wicketkeeping record, he has taken 65 catches and 19 stumpings.