The Indian team is currently engaged in the ongoing five-match test series against England at home. Once this series is over, the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League is likely to begin on March 23. All the Indian players will be busy playing. There are no more T20Is for India ahead of the coming T20 World Cup 2024 in June.
That means that the team for the World Cup is selected on the basis of the performances of the IPL 2024. Though the Indian management is working on a pool of 20–25 players from past years, it is likely that the squad will be announced from that pool. But there are chances that some players who have been sidelined but can make a surprise entry after doing well in the IPL 2024.
3. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar had been India’s leading pacer before 2022 in the white-ball setup along Jasprit Bumrah. He was the spearhead of the Indian team during the last edition of the T20 World Cup in Australia. But since India’s semi-final exit from the tournament, he has been sidelined completely. However, Bhuvi has played in some domestic tournaments and done well. He will be playing for SRH, and a good season can earn him a comeback on the team. The pitches in the USA and West Indies also favor batters like him.
2. Yuzvendra Chahal
Since Kuldeep Yadav has made his comeback, India has stuck with him as the main spinner in the white-ball format. It has made Yuzvendra Chahal totally sidelined from the scheme of things. The pitches in the West Indies and USA will be slow and low, and Chahal can be pretty effective on such pitches. Hence, if he can do well in the IPL 2024 for the Rajasthan Royals, there are chances that India might go with him as a backup spinner.
1. Shikhar Dhawan
Rohit Sharma will be the first-choice opener, and it will be a toss-up between Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal. However, apart from a career-saving hundred in the second innings of the Vizag test against England, Gill has looked out of sorts. That has increased Jaiswal’s chances of being the second opener. But somehow, these two or one of them had an average IPL 2024, and Shikhar Dhawan had a brilliant season. So he might get an edge as a backup opener in the World Cup squad.
