IPL 2020: Ranking the wicketkeeping-batsmen of the teams
The franchises are gearing up for well for IPL 2020 and the new signings of the various teams have been closely monitored by the coaching staff.
Players like Tom Banton, Joshua Phillipe, and Alex Carey have been doing very well in the Big Bash League and can push for a place in the starting XI. It's no coincidence that they all are wicketkeepers.
This is because the players behind the stumps play such an important role in the T20 format and teams often spend a lot of cash on them.
On that note, let's take a look at the various wicketkeepers in the squads of each team and rank them.
Note: The T20 format gives more importance to batting and hence, the players are ranked based on their batting prowess, and not their keeping technique.
#8 Royal Challengers Bangalore
Wicketkeeping Options: Parthiv Patel, Shahbaz Ahmad, and Joshua Phillipe(Overseas)
RCB have the weakest set of wicketkeepers in the league and we'll likely get to see the same in action during the games.
Their first choice option will be Parthiv Patel and the southpaw hasn't done enough with the bat. He flourished only during the powerplay overs and wasn't able to carry on after that. He made 373 runs last season at an impressive strike-rate of 139.17 but a rather dour average of 26.64. He's decent in his wicketkeeping, though and doesn't make too many errors.
Uncapped Shahbaz Ahmad is the Indian backup option for Patel and he has a decent domestic record.
Joshua Phillipe has been in great touch in BBL 2019 and has been the highest runscorer for the Sydney Sixers. The uncapped Aussie keeper is, however, untested and hasn't played outside home conditions.
Final Verdict: RCB has an average first-choice keeper and a couple of untested backups. They're the weakest of all.