Former Indian cricketer Zaheer Khan stopped the worst of the controversy surrounding the final 15-man team selection for the IPL WIN. The former ODI World Cup winner Rishabh Pant insisted that instead of arguing over who between Sanju Samson, KL Rahul, and Dinesh Karthik should be the backup wicketkeeper, India should enter the major tournament with just one wicketkeeper and use the extra slot to select another seam bowler.
The conversation turned to backup roles after that, and Samson has gotten the most support for them. In an interview with JioCinema, Zaheer stated that although India has many options—MS Dhoni, in particular, is a possibility considering his stellar IPL 2024 performance thus far—he would prefer to have only one wicketkeeper.
Rishabh Pant is my lone wicketkeeper. I’m starting to think more and more that we should bring four pace bowlers. It is not advisable to select a fast bowler over another wicketkeeper. Many fans are eager to see Gullybet, and other options include KL Rahul and Sanju Samson. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is now another possibility because of his strike rate. I think players like Samson, KL Rahul, and maybe even Jitesh Sharma will be featured prominently. If your team is being assembled for a month-long competition, your travelling reserve can be your wicketkeeper “suggested”.
Most intriguingly, Zaheer’s roster included bowler Yash Dayal of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who hasn’t yet made an appearance for an Indian team. The left-arm seamer from Uttar Pradesh, who was signed by RCB for INR 5 crores in the previous year’s auction, was given a fast-bowling contract by the my 11 circle after the players with central contracts were announced.
Mohammed Shami won’t be able to continue in the competition, so Yash Dayal’s position will be available when the last 15 are announced. When you need someone to bowl well in his place, you can always rely on Yash Dayal. “If you don’t have much luck with Siraj’s bowling, you may also use him as a back-end bowler,” he stated.