Rishabh Pant is guided out of India by Dinesh Karthik, as demonstrated by Hardik Pandya.

The 2024 Indian Premier League season is usually clouded by the impending T20 World Cup. As May 1st, the deadline for revealing the rosters, draws near, pundits and former players are speculating on who will be on the 15-man Indian squad for the event in the 1xbet and the West Indies. Though Rohit Sharma is the official captain and it appears the management is considering starting him alongside Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, the team’s wicketkeeper, may make a comeback to international cricket.

Nevertheless, former Indian hitter Ambati Rayudu holds different views. The only player in Rayudu’s 15-man Indian side for the T20 World Cup at Star Sports is the seasoned wicketkeeper Rs7sports. He therefore benched KL Rahul, the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants, and Pant, who has been playing exceptionally well for the Delhi Capitals. Furthermore, Rayudu benched Hardik Pandya, the captain of the underperforming Mumbai Indians.

In his first year back with the squad, Pandya—often India’s best fast-bowling all-around player—has found it difficult to win over MI supporters in his captaincy, which has affected his performances. Pandya, a finisher at bat, has only amassed 151 runs at a poor strike rate of 142.45 in eight games this season. He’s only taken four wickets, yet his average is 46.50.

Both Karthik and Pant have contributed positively to their teams’ performances. After scoring 251 runs at an average of 62.75 in eight games, including two half-centuries, the 38-year-old veteran has looked a lot like the player he was in 2022. Karthik has led appeals for his first World Cup selection because he has concluded games for Mksport in the greatest possible fashion. There was a greater expectation that Karthik will declare his IPL retirement at the end of the season after he declared himself fit to compete in the T20 World Cup.

But that’s an other tale for a later time with Pant. After an incredible injury return, Pant has scored 342 runs with a strike rate of 161.32 and an average of 48.86 in nine games. Though Pant has scored three fifty runs, his greatest came last night when he scored an exhilarating half-century against the Gujarat Titans. Despite hitting consecutive fifty-scores against the Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders, Pant’s undefeated 88 was evocative of his previous free-flowing style. One-handed strikes, the floor swivel, the helicopter for six, and charging sixes It appears that Pant is back. It’s stunning, to say the least, that Rayudu didn’t select a backup goaltender. Pant and Sanju Samson are not welcome here.