Significance of IPL 2023 ahead of the World Cup

With the BCCI stating that the core team members will be monitored during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 in view of the upcoming One Day World Cup and World Test Championship Final, the tournament assumes significance. The foremost point to note is that the format is not relevant for the succeeding global competitions this year.

While performances in the IPL have been a key factor in selecting players into the national sides for limited-overs cricket, specialists such as Cheteshwar Pujara & Ishant Sharma are still considered pillars in test cricket. The timing of the tournament is important too - considering the WTC final is in June (Should India qualify) and the World Cup will be held in October- November.

While it can be argued that players will have sufficient time to recover in time for the One Day World Cup (if they get injured), the same cannot be said of the WTC. Moreover, India would want to give their first-choice players as much game time as possible before the World Cup - at the same time taking into account the fatigue factor.

Since IPL is a showpiece event and keeping in mind the fact that 2020 and part of the 2021 IPL was not conducted in India, the cricket carnival will definitely go on this year unless the BCCI is forced to make drastic moves considering the trophy drought in ICC tournaments since 2013.

The selection dilemma continues much like in previous years and although it is widely felt that the think tank is clueless or there is no planning for this year’s global tournaments, the presence of astute and insightful minds like that of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman - two legends of the game - should calm the nerves of an average fan. Being the hosts, the Indians will be wary of the pressure and also the effect a wrong move could have, should they fail to reach the knockout stage of the World Cup.

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Would selectors prefer youngsters for 2023 World Cup?

It remains to be seen if the selectors (who are yet to be appointed officially after the committee headed by Chetan Sharma was fired) will decide to look beyond Shikhar Dhawan & KL Rahul for fresh and young bloods such as Ishan Kishan. Rohit is all set to retain the captaincy with Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav being certainties in the top order.

Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson have been in contention with stellar performances recently, while Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja should fit in as all-rounders. India’s batting has always looked power-packed and in a tournament held at home, it has seldom failed to fire, hence it should not be a cause of worry for India. Instead, it would be the combination that they would like to field on a particular day that will cause head-aches for the team management.

Jasprit Bumrah (who should be fit soon), Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj/Deepak Chahar are likely to take charge of the pace attack. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav will be competing for the lone spinner’s spot in the XI.

Allrounders like Washington Sundar and Axar Patel fancy a spot too. With the unfortunate Rishabh Pant meeting with an accident, the role of wicket keeper batsman is wide open - Ishan Kishan could be the first choice if KL Rahul is overlooked - and the fact that he is a left-handed opener is a boon for India at this stage.

Jasprit Bumrah, India's spearhead

With competition for close to seven-eight spots still high, the IPL would definitely help players gain confidence and form, but it could also close the door to a World Cup spot. The final 15 that India needs to select should keep in mind the varying conditions, the balance of the team and also the track record of recent injuries.

The decision of the BCCI to work closely with the IPL teams is commendable considering the circumstances and India’s desperation to hold a global trophy aloft.

The fitness of not only the senior players but also of possible back-up ones such as Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Hooda, Harshal Patel among others is of prominence as they have had an international experience which is important while covering up for the first choice players in a global tournament.

The team management will also not want to repeat the mistake they made in 2019 - a couple of injuries and the top order batting was all over the place. Along with this, a few questionable decisions probably cost India the World Cup.

With worries about the fitness of Bumrah and Jadeja still looming and the IPL being a tournament which no one would like to miss, April & May can produce quality cricket while keeping the selectors and the team management on the edge.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli hold the key to India's batting

The problem of plenty generally leads to confusing and debatable decisions but India have a very good chance of becoming champions again should they plan meticulously and most importantly, their players stay injury free. With a thinking coach in Rahul Dravid, whose motivational skills have been extolled by almost all the players and the presence of stalwarts such as Rohit and Kohli who may not play the 2027 edition, this World Cup is all India’s unless they lose it.

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