Is any dugout big enough to hold De Kock and Rickelton?

Wicketkeepers tend to be relentlessly optimistic. Every team needs one. No keeper, no team. True. But every team has room for only one of them.

Batters? At least six. Seam bowlers? Sometimes four. Spinners? Three could get a game. Keepers? They're on their own.

The equation gets tighter in South Africa, where national teams are expected to include at least six black or brown players. You're the best keeper around but you're white? Could get complicated. Of the 42 keepers South Africa's senior men's teams have fielded across formats, 38 have been white.

The IPL equation tightens further: only four overseas players per team. What happens when you have two foreign keepers? Both bat left-handed, best at the top. Both have scored a century in this edition.

That's Mumbai Indians' conundrum. Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton.

Rickelton hammered 83 off 32 against Lucknow Super Giants on Monday, helping Mumbai win for only the third time in 10 attempts.

"It's been tricky to have a guy of Quinny's calibre sitting on the bench," Rickelton said. "You're burning yourself with more pressure because you have a guy who's flipping good sitting behind you and the whole world's screaming to pick him."

De Kock last played on April 23 with a wrist injury. He hasn't reached 50 since his unbeaten 112 off 60 against Punjab Kings on April 16, scoring 20 across two subsequent innings.

Rickelton opened against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 29, scoring 81 off 43. He kept his spot for three games but managed only 54 runs in total. Mumbai lost those three. So both opened against Punjab on April 16. Rickelton made two. De Kock scored a hundred. Mumbai still lost.

Rickelton was left out for two games. De Kock made 13 and seven. Then De Kock hurt his wrist warming up against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 29. Rickelton smashed an unbeaten 123 off 55. Mumbai lost again.

On Monday, Rickelton powered an opening stand of 143 off 63 with Rohit Sharma. But not everyone was satisfied.

"De Kock was the first person to abuse me tonight, saying I threw away a hundred," Rickelton said.

"The competition is always healthy. We're very supportive. He's watched my batting and tweaking things to help. We've got two guys gunning for the same position, both playing nicely. One's Quinton de Kock, which is pressure in its own right. And I am who I am."

Keepers are a strange breed. The modern game begrudges them their one place per team unless they can hold down a frontline batter spot. Bowlers who are walking wickets are tolerated. Keepers aren't.

Given his Test batting average of 27.10, would Jack Russell have played as many internationals today? Or Alan Knott, who averaged 32.75? Or Kiran More, at 25.70? All three could bat. So could Syed Kirmani, who scored 63 not out from No. 10 against West Indies in 1983, sharing a 143-run stand with Sunil Gavaskar.

But cricket doesn't care about keepers like that anymore. Because they don't bat like Adam Gilchrist or MS Dhoni. Few could.

Rickelton and De Kock are what the modern game wants. But no dugout is big enough for both.