IPL 2019: 8 players who need to impress to seal World Cup spots

#3 Kings XI Punjab - KL Rahul

Rahul after smashing the fastest IPL fifty

The Kings XI Punjab had a turbulent time last season but one constant for them was the unceasing brilliance of KL Rahul. He subsequently was backed by India in every series that came but the Karnataka batsman managed to disappoint on every single occasion.

Fast forward to the current situation post the controversy along with Hardik Pandya, he's now bidding for the third opener's spot which was almost certain to be his a few months ago. But questions about his consistency were quashed with good performances for India A followed by him becoming the highest run scorer for India in the T20I series against Australia. He will certainly be tested out in what remains of the ODI series and if he does fire, he'll certainly be in the squad for the World Cup.

But the IPL acts as his fail-safe and he can make a strong statement with performances in the competition. If they're even close to the masterclass we witnessed last season, India will probably have the best bench strength in the World Cup and this man who's on his way to redemption will take all steps necessary to ensure that happens.