IPL 2020: 5 Indian batsmen who need to do well to make it to the T20 World Cup squad

International cricket has taken a massive hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the T20 World Cup has been the most high profile International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament to be postponed.

After much speculation about which tournament - the Indian Premier League (IPL) or the T20 World Cup - will be held, the former won the battle and the 13th edition is set to commence on the 19th of September.

The T20 World Cup, on the other hand, will take place in consecutive years - 2021 and 2022. The 2021 edition of the tournament is expected to take place in India, and the hosts will be keen on ending their ICC hoodoo, just like they did in the 2011 ODI World Cup.

Due to the IPL, the Men in Blue have a host of quality players waiting in the wings in the T20 format. IPL 2020 could make or break the T20 World Cup hopes of these 5 Indian batsmen.

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#5 Ambati Rayudu

Rayudu will want to make an Indian comeback at the earliest

In the absence of Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu is expected to be the Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) key middle order batsman in IPL 2020. The Hyderabad batsman, who seemed to have solved the No. 4 crisis in the Indian ODI team before his unceremonious exclusion from the 2019 World Cup squad, last played a T20I in October 2015.

However, with a IPL season, Rayudu can make a comeback to the team, owing to much uncertainty surrounding the middle order combination. The right-hander scored only 282 runs in the 2019 IPL, a far cry from his splendid 2018 season in which he scored 602 runs.

Rayudu will be keen on showing the selectors that he still has cricket left in him, and could make a late run for the T20 World Cup squad as his career winds down.

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#4 Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav is perhaps the best uncapped player in IPL 2020

Suryakumar Yadav has never played an international game for India, but he still stands a chance of making the squad for the T20 World Cup. The Mumbai Indians (MI) batsman has been highly consistent in the IPL, and another good season could catapult him into the reckoning.

Yadav is expected to anchor the innings as the solid MI top order bats around him, and could score some big runs without taking many risks. He is also an excellent player of spin and can rotate strike with ease, which are two qualities that will hold him in good stead in the UAE.

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#3 Sanju Samson

Samson has played a few unnecessary shots in his brief T20I career

Sanju Samson hasn't utilised the few opportunities that he has got in T20Is for India, mostly due to a series of careless shots. The Kerala batsman is still in the reckoning for a T20 World Cup spot, however, and a good IPL 2020 for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) would go a long way in that objective.

Samson might not get to open the innings for RR in the presence of Robin Uthappa, Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal, and he could prepare himself for the middle-order role that he might be given in the Indian team.

The 25-year-old has long been touted as MS Dhoni's replacement, and would be highly motivated to finally play for his country on a regular basis.

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#2 Rishabh Pant

Pant has an glowing IPL record

Rishabh Pant has lost his place in the white-ball teams to KL Rahul, but the wicket-keeper is still likely to make it to the Indian T20 World Cup squad. He has an excellent IPL record, but should he have a poor tournament, he might be under too much criticism to be selected for the Indian team.

Pant is a key member of a youthful Delhi Capitals (DC) that could make a deep run in IPL 2020, and with his place in the XI completely assured, he will have the freedom to express himself. IPL 2020 could not only see the young southpaw make the T20 World Cup squad but also turn his international career around.

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#1 Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik could take over from MS Dhoni in the Indian white-ball squads

One of the few pure finishers that India have in the limited-overs formats, Dinesh Karthik has recently been sacrificed in favour of players like Manish Pandey. As Pandey has been excellent in T20Is for India, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR0 captain will have to have a prolific IPL to make a comeback.

Karthik is one of very few experienced Indian batsmen in the KKR setup, and he will have to lead a young team from the front in IPL 2020. The Tamil Nadu man could still pip Pant and Rahul to the keeper's role and he has shown that captaincy has elevated his game in the recent past.

Karthik was one of the first-ever players to feature for India in the T20 format, and he could prove that he still has a lot left to give, especially after the retirement of MS Dhoni.

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