5 IPL 2021 stars who will play in the ICC T20 World Cup for the first time this year

The ICC T20 World Cup began last Sunday in Oman. Just two days before the opening match of the tournament, the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League culminated in the United Arab Emirates.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captured the IPL trophy for the fourth time by beating the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the summit clash. Fans should note that the IPL 2021-winning captain, MS Dhoni, will not play in the ICC T20 World Cup. He has retired from international cricket and will work as a mentor for Team India at the mega event.

While the IPL 2021-winning skipper will not be part of the T20 World Cup as a player, some IPL 2021 stars will make their T20 World Cup debuts this year.

In this listicle, we will look at the five players who performed brilliantly in the 2021 IPL season and are now set to play for their country for the first time in an ICC T20 World Cup tournament.

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#1 Varun Chakravarthy

Varun Chakravarthy was the most successful spin bowler in IPL 2021 (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Kolkata Knight Riders mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has bagged a place in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2021. Varun played for India in the warm-up match against Australia but could not make an impact.

Chakravarthy was excellent for KKR in IPL 2021. He finished sixth in the IPL 2021 Purple Cap standings by bagging 18 wickets in 17 matches.

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#2 Lockie Ferguson

Lockie Ferguson was in the Top 50 of the IPL 2021 Most Valuable Players List (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Lockie Ferguson played a huge role in the Kolkata Knight Riders' success during the UAE leg of IPL 2021. The Kiwi speedster accounted for 13 wickets in eight matches.

He bowled at a fantastic economy rate of 7.46 runs per over. New Zealand cricket fans will expect Ferguson to continue in the same vein when he plays for the Blackcaps for the first time in a T20 World Cup this year.

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#3 Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant led the Delhi Capitals to the IPL 2021 playoffs (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper Rishabh Pant finished 10th on the IPL 2021 Orange Cap leaderboard. Pant aggregated 419 runs in 16 innings and led DC from the front in the 2021 IPL season.

Under the wicket-keeper's captaincy, DC finished third in the IPL 2021 playoffs. Pant is now all set to don the Indian jersey for the first time in the ICC T20 World Cup competition this year.

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#4 KL Rahul

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KL Rahul was the top run-scorer in the IPL 2021 league stage. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis overtook him during the playoffs, but no batter managed to score 600 runs in the league round of the season except Rahul.

The Punjab Kings captain amassed 626 runs in 13 innings. Having performed well in the warm-up games, Rahul will look forward to continuing his fantastic form in his maiden T20 World Cup.

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#5 Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur was a last-minute addition to the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2021. Initially, the selectors kept him on the list of reserves, but last week they swapped him with Axar Patel.

Thakur was the leading wicket-taker for the IPL 2021 champions, Chennai Super Kings. He took 21 wickets in 16 matches, including a three-wicket haul in the final. It will be interesting to see how he performs in his first-ever ICC T20 World Cup.