“You’ve got to miss IPL” - When Ravi Shastri slammed schedule mismanagement after defeat in AUS vs IND 2023 WTC final

Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri has been consistently vocal about the changing tides of international cricket catalysed by the IPL. The inception of T20 leagues around the world has significantly tightened the cricketing calendar, often impacting teams' preparations for major events.

The build-up to the 2025 World Test Championship (WTC) was a quick turnaround from the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), which culminated on June 3 after a revision in the schedule. The finalists, Australia and South Africa, have not had the ideal red-ball preparation heading into the clash, a predicament which Team India had also faced ahead of the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) Final.

The Men in Blue looked undercooked against a well-honed Australian side to lose their second consecutive WTC Final by a massive margin of 209 runs at The Oval. Following the loss, the then-India skipper Rohit Sharma had lamented the lack of preparation time, suggesting that the team needed at least '20-25' days to be at their best.

"In an ideal scenario, yes, I would prefer it if we have 20-25 days to prepare for a game like this," Sharma had said after the loss. (via ESPN Cricinfo).

Ravi Shastri remarked that such a luxury window for preparation in the modern era is not practical. The former all-rounder further opined that such a provision can only be availed if the franchise league is removed from the cricketing calendar.

"Let's be realistic here. You're not going to get those 20 days. And if that's the case then you've got to miss IPL. So, the choice is yours and it's up to the establishment as well. I'm sure the BCCI will review this in the future, if a World Test Championship [final] is going to come after an IPL every time in the month of June, then for that season, if your team qualifies for the final, there should be certain clauses put to franchises," Shastri said.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) recently put their foot down to prioritize preparation for the WTC Final, and recall their players ahead of the Indian Premier League 2025 Playoffs. The likes of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Ryan Rickelton, and Corbin Bosch were not a part of the knockouts despite their respective franchises qualifying for the same.

2023 WTC Final was held 10 days after the 2023 IPL Final

There was a brief window of two weeks from May 25 onwards, according to the original IPL 2025 timetable, ahead of the WTC Final, scheduled for June 11. However, the brief one-week suspension of the tournament in India led to the schedule being dragged beyond. The revised schedule saw the tournament being extended to June 3, reducing the gap intended for preparation.

In 2023, when India were among the WTC finalists, the IPL final was held on May 28, while the WTC Final began from June 7 onwards.