Five Wicketkeepers Who Are In Contention For India Squad In The 2024 T20 World Cup

Amidst the exciting ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024), the international teams are also eyeing to prepare well for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024 scheduled to begin from June 1, 2024. The mega event will be taking place jointly in the West Indies and USA. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors are still in discussion regarding some of the possible who are in contention to be part of the India T20 World Cup squad. According to the guidelines released by the International Cricket Council (ICC), all the participating teams will have to announce their respective T20I squads till 1 May, 2024. In this blog piece, check out the top five wicket-keepers who are in contention to be part of the India squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup. 

Five Wicket-keepers who are in contention for India Squad in the T20 World Cup 2024

1. Rishabh Pant

It is still very much unreal to see Rishabh Pant back on the cricket field fully fit especially after surviving that life-threatening car accident in December 2022. He suffered multiple injuries during that accident following which he showed immense courage both mentally and physically to retain complete fitness for the ongoing IPL 2024 season where he is captaining the Delhi Capitals (DC). After featuring in the first half of the ongoing T20 tournament, the southpaw wicket-keeper batsman is looking in a very good nick both with the bat and gloves. Pant has smashed a total of 371 runs from as many as 10 games in IPL 2024 at a remarkable strike-rate of 160.61 that includes three half-centuries. On the other hand, he will also bring in that left-handed batting variation in the India batting line-up during the T20 World Cup 2024 especially against the opposition spinners. 

2. Sanju Samson

The second name in discussion for T20 World Cup 2024 India squad is Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson who looked in an impressive form during this Indian Premier League 2024 season. The right-handed wicket-keeper batsman has smashed a total of 385 runs from 9 games at an outstanding average of 77. Moreover, Sanju's presence in the India T20 squad will provide flexibility as he can bat at different positions in the middle-order. However, while considering his stats for the India T20I team, the 29-year-old has failed to live up to the expectations having scored just 374 runs from 25 T20I games at a poor average of 18.7 that includes only a single fifty. 

3. KL Rahul

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain KL Rahul is very much in contention to be selected in India's 15-man squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 as a wicket-keeper batter. He performed really well during the 2023 ODI World Cup both with the bat and behind the stumps. However, Rahul had forgettable performances as an opener during the last two editions of the T20 World Cup 2021 and 2022. This year the T20 World Cup 2024 venue will be West Indies and USA where pitches will be a bit on the slower side. Rahul has scored nearly 400 runs in this IPL 2024 so far but he is fighting for a middle-order spot in India's World Cup squad as the trio of skipper Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli are likely to be the top three batters. 

4. Ishan Kishan

Mumbai Indians' swashbuckling wicket-keeper batsman Ishan Kishan will definitely be very unhappy with his performance so far in IPL 2024. He smashed a blistering knock of 69 runs off just 34 balls in a succesful run-chase against Royal Challengers Bangalore, but he failed continue the run in the next few games which might cost him a place in the India T20 World Cup squad. Moreover, Ishan made himself unavailable since the recently concluded Test series in South Africa and did not play much of competitive cricket ahead of IPL 2024. Thus, the national selectors might keep these factors in mind before taking a final call on the possible wicket-keeper options. 

5. Dinesh Karthik

Just like the 2022 T20 World Cup, senior wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik is once again in the cricket news knocking the selection doors ahead of another mega event with some unbelievable performance in the Indian Premier League. He is looking in an amazing form and is finishing game for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2024 and the Indian team also needs someone in their line-up who can score aggressively during the death overs with complete freedom. Karthik is someone who brings a lot of experience on the table. However, he is very much unlikely to be the final choice as the wicket-keeper batsman in the India squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup. 

The duo of Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson are expected to be the final two names for the wicket-keepers slot in the India T20I squad for the upcoming mega event.