IPL 2022: Ranking wicketkeeping options of all teams ahead of the season

Wicketkeeping is certainly the most underrated role in cricket. The role of the wicketkeeper in a cricket team is as crucial as any other player’s. Every cricket team needs a quality wicketkeeper, irrespective of the format. A good wicketkeeper not only helps with guarding the area right behind the stumps but also he has the best seat to examine the scenarios of a match.

Whether it is aiding the team in placing the field, taking DRS calls, or encouraging the bowler, the wicketkeeper is an important element in all those activities. Players like Kumar Sangakkara, Adam Gilchrist, and MS Dhoni have redefined the role of a wicketkeeper. We have witnessed some spectacular catches and stumpings by these glovemen.

Wicketkeepers have had their own legacy in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), too. The 15th edition of the mega cricket league is right at our doorstep, and this edition has some brilliant wicketkeepers as part of their respective franchises. Let us take a look at the wicketkeeping options that every team has.

Let’s rank the IPL 2022 franchises according to the wicketkeeping options they have:

10. Kolkata Knight Riders 

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) reached the final of the last season after making a fabulous comeback in the second leg. Kolkata have had some quality wicketkeepers in their team since 2008. The franchise has announced their newest skipper for the season, Shreyas Iyer. Iyer was bought for INR 12.25 crores by KKR.

KKR have two wicketkeeping options for the season, Sheldon Jackson and Sam Billings, with Sheldon expected to be the first-choice. Jackson has been an underrated cricketer throughout his career. He has been a crucial bloke for the Saurashtra domestic cricket team over the years. He is expected to get a longer run with KKR in 2022.

Sam Billings is a sound and elegant batter from England. His batting style suits the 20-over format the most. Sam has previously played for the IPL franchises, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Delhi Capitals (DC). Billings has not got many chances to play international cricket regularly for England, but he has played almost every T20 league in the world and he is pretty used to franchise cricket.

9. Gujarat Titans 

Gujarat Titans (GT) did not have a wicketkeeper till the last session of the auction. That made them bid for glovemen Matthew Wade and Wriddhiman Saha. This will be the first season for the Ahmedabad-based franchise. They have announced Hardik Pandya as their skipper with the likes of Gary Kirsten and Ashish Nehra in the support staff.

Matthew Wade was the hero for Australia in the semi-final of last year’s T20 World Cup. Wade is a versatile cricketer and flexible to bat in any position in the batting order. After the exclusion of Jason Roy from the GT squad, Wade can be seen opening the innings with Shubman Gill. Most probably, Wade will be the first-choice wicketkeeper for GT.

The experienced Indian keeper Wriddhiman Saha is regarded as one of the most skillful in world cricket. Saha is the only batter to score a century in an IPL final. On the other hand, Rahmanullah Gurbaz from Afghanistan has been included in the squad as Jason Roy’s replacement. Gurbaz is a quality batter and a reliable wicketkeeper, too.

8. Punjab Kings 

Punjab Kings (PBKS) was the franchise with the biggest purse at the IPL 2022 mega auction and they were the ones who bought the highest number of players. They retained Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh ahead of the auction and have announced that Mayank will lead the side this season.

The Mohali-based franchise has three wicketkeeping options in the form of Jonny Bairstow, Jitesh Sharma, and Prabhsimran Singh. Bairstow will most probably be the first choice. Bairstow has been one of the most vital reasons for the success of the England team in all three formats. He is an entertainer and a master of his skills.

The Vidarbha wicketkeeper, Jitesh Sharma, has not made his IPL debut yet. He is a dependable wicketkeeper-batter and has been an important member of the Vidarbha cricket team. He was with Mumbai Indians previously, while Prabhsimran Singh has been with PBKS since 2019 but has not got many opportunities. He has played five games in the IPL so far.

7. Sunrisers Hyderabad

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have been taking some surprising decisions. They released two of their biggest match-winners, David Warner and Rashid Khan, and took a chance with Abdul Samad and Umran Malik. It will be interesting to see the combination of players that the franchise will use in the upcoming season.

SRH have bought Nicholas Pooran who can set the stage on fire on his day. Pooran will play for SRH in 2022 and will have the responsibility to provide strength to SRH’s middle-order. He is coming into the season with a spectacular form. He has been scoring runs consistently for the teams he has been playing for.

SRH have the likes of Glenn Phillips and Vishnu Vinod as the other wicketkeeping options. Glenn Phillips is a reliable wicketkeeper-batter from New Zealand, and is a regular feature in their limited-over sides. Phillips can be a nice option to take a chance with as he can also play as a pure batter. On the other hand, Kerala’s Vishnu Vinod will also be seen taking the field in 2022.

7. Royal Challengers Bangalore

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will not be the same anymore. Their heartbeat, AB de Villiers, has announced his retirement from all forms of the game and their champion skipper, Virat Kohli, has decided to not captain the franchise anymore. Even their go-to wicket-taker, Yuzvendra Chahal, is not there, having been picked up by Rajasthan Royals (RR).

Nevertheless, RCB is still a strong-looking side on paper in 2022. They have successfully bought the most successful wicketkeeper in the history of IPL, Dinesh Karthik. Karthik has made a name for himself as a finisher in the shortest format of the game. He will undoubtedly be their first-choice gloveman this season.

RCB have other good options too. Anuj Rawat is a skillful wicketkeeper with excellent batting abilities. He is a promising talent. On the other hand, Finn Allen has previously been in the RCB squad, and the franchise decided to go for him at the auction. The Karnataka wicketkeeper, Luvnith Sisodia, is also in the RCB squad for the 2022 season.

5. Mumbai Indians 

The most successful IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians will be one of the top contenders for the IPL trophy in 2022 too. Mumbai Indians have been a franchise that have shown immense faith in their core. They don’t believe in the policy of changing their squad much.  Quinton de Kock has been a match-winner for them in the last few seasons, but has now moved to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

For the first time in the history of the IPL auction, Mumbai Indians bidded for more than INR 10 crore for a player. Ishan Kishan became the most expensive player in the mega IPL auction of 2022, with Mumbai bagging him for INR 15.25 crore. Kishan will have a huge role to play in 2022 as he is expected to be the opening partner of Rohit Sharma. This can be the season when the pocket-sized dynamo surpasses all the expectations and previous performances.

Mumbai Indians have also bought Aryan Juyal as a wicketkeeping option. Aryan was India’s wicketkeeper at the 2018 Under-19 World Cup. He plays for Uttar Pradesh in domestic tournaments. Juyal has been impressive and he can get some games to play this season.

4. Chennai Super Kings 

Chennai Super Kings had a good auction in 2022. They have formed a good mixture of young and experienced players. This can be the last season for MS Dhoni, so the whole team will want to win the title for him and give a fitting farewell. The franchise is looking solid and they are all set to give other teams a tough challenge.

MS Dhoni, who has stepped down as CSK captain, has been the face of the franchise since 2008. He has been a true servant of the Chennai-based franchise and will continue providing his services in 2022, too. The 40-year-old will be a guiding light for all the young players in the CSK camp. The New Zealand opener Devon Conway is also a dependable wicketkeeper alongside being a consistent performer with the bat.

CSK have other wicketkeeping options in the form of Robin Uthappa. Robin, who won the Orange Cap in IPL 2014, was given a chance in the previous edition after the failures from Suresh Raina. The Karnataka batter grabbed his chances and played brilliantly. CSK also have N Jagadeeshan with them. Jagadeeshan is a star player from Tamil Nadu and has been a prominent player for them, too.

3. Rajasthan Royals 

The champions of the inaugural IPL season have been deprived of the title since then. Rajasthan Royals have formed a strong and quality squad for the 2022 season. They have plenty of match-winners and some really good youngsters. Their skipper Sanju Samson will be happy with the RR management for the work they did at the mega auction.

The skipper of the franchise himself is among the top wicketkeepers in India. Sanju has been around for a while. He has been a star in the IPL with some amazing performances. Sanju is expected to stand behind the stumps for Rajasthan yet again despite Jos Buttler’s presence in the XI.

Buttler has been keeping wickets for England for some time now. He is one of the most important players for the Jaipur-based franchise as a batter. He is a great wicketkeeper, too, as we have seen him effecting some fantastic dismissals. Meanwhile, Dhruv Jurel is a talented wicketkeeper from Uttar Pradesh and he will play for RR in 2022.

2. Delhi Capitals 

A young team with a young captain, Delhi Capitals (DC) are all set for IPL 2022. DC have one of the best squads, among all the other franchises. The addition of someone like David Warner is a blessing for the franchise. Delhi Capitals have been a very different team ever since they changed their name and re-branded their franchise.

The captain of the team, Rishabh Pant, is India’s first-choice keeper in all three formats. Pant is improving day by day both as a batter and a wicketkeeper. He was given DC’s captaincy last season, and the team did very well under him. Many see the potential in him to become a successful captain.

We all saw what KS Bharat can do last season. He did a fine job for RCB, both with the bat and gloves. He will be playing for the Delhi Capitals in 2022. Bharat is a fine keeper and a good student of the game. He has also been doing really well for the Andhra side in domestic cricket. Meanwhile, the Kiwi wicketkeeper, Tim Seifert, is in the DC camp, too, for the 2022 season. He is also a good wicketkeeper.

1. Lucknow Super Giants

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were undoubtedly one of the best at the mega IPL auction for the 2022 season. They have a strong side with some great players. KL Rahul will be the captain of the side, with the likes of Quinton de Kock and Manish Pandey in the batting order. They have a good bunch of all-rounders in their squad.

Quinton de Kock was a vital player for the Mumbai Indians in the last few seasons. The Lucknow Super Giants successfully bought him at the auction and will avail his services. Quinton is one of the best wicketkeepers in world cricket presently. In fact, he has been doing it for years for South Africa, and now, we might see him keeping wickets for LSG.

LSG’s skipper KL Rahul is a reliable wicketkeeper, too. He is not a regular, but he can do a fine job if needed. We have seen him donning the gloves for the Punjab Kings when he was with them, and he has done the same for the national side, too. KL is a good athlete and is among the fittest players going around in Indian cricket.