5 key Indian players who might be rested for some matches of IPL 2023

For Indian cricket fans, 2022 was not particularly a memorable year due to the team's failure to win the T20 World Cup or even the Asia Cup.

A humbling semi-final exit from the ICC event, coupled with some mediocre results throughout the year, forced the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to call for a review meeting on January 1.

Following the BCCI's recent review meeting, an official statement was released in which it was revealed that the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and the IPL franchises will work together to monitor the workload of 20 Indian players who are likely to be part of the ODI World Cup later in the year.

BCCI shortlists 20 players for 2023 WC, discusses Yo-Yo test, workload management in review meeting

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In the wake of the same development, former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir also shared his thoughts and said that the IPL franchises will have to oblige if the BCCI wants players to rest during a few games in the cash-rich league.

The southpaw asserted during an appearance on the Star Sports show "Road to World Cup Glory" that regulating players' workloads for the ODI World Cup was more crucial than lifting the IPL. He said:

"If the franchisee has to suffer, they have to suffer. Indian cricket is the main stakeholder, not the IPL. IPL is just the by-product."

Gambhir added:

"So, if India goes out and wins the World Cup, that is the bigger ovation, that is the bigger ring. For me, I think winning the World Cup is far more important than winning the IPL."

Interestingly, Gambhir is a mentor of Lucknow Super Giants, who will have to face the brunt of this decision when they step on the field in the forthcoming season.

Here's a list of five Indian players who could miss some matches in IPL 2023.

#1 Rohit Sharma - Mumbai Indians

2019 IPL Final - Mumbai v Chennai [Pic Credit: Getty Images].

Team India skipper Rohit Sharma will probably be the first name on the team sheet for his country in the 2023 ODI World Cup. His importance was duly felt at the last edition of the 50-over World Cup in England, where the Hitman smashed five hundreds - the record-most in a single edition.

However, since he took over as India’s full-time captain in all three formats in early 2022, the 35-year-old has struggled on the batting front as well as in his fitness.

He missed as many as 32 matches for India last year. Expectantly, this didn't augur well for the team as the Men in Blue saw seven different captains in 2022.

Nevertheless, come the 2023 ODI World Cup, Rohit will lead Team India, and fans will want him to be in his groove at what could be his last 50-over World Cup.

#2 Virat Kohli - Royal Challengers Bangalore

India v England - ICC Men's T20 World Cup: Semi Final

Only the third Indian after the great Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly to score more than 1,000 runs at ODI World Cups, Virat Kohli will be the heart of the Indian batting unit at this year's marquee ICC event.

Although his fitness level is at another level, it must be understood that the modern-day legend has almost entered the twilight of his career.

Virat Kohli currently has 44 ODI centuries 🤩

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At the age of 34 years, Kohli would want to enter the 2023 World Cup afresh and not fatigued. His mastery in the 50-over format, in which he has amassed more than 12,000 runs, will be worth its weight in gold for India.

Kohli is most likely to miss all T20 internationals for India leading up to the ODI World Cup. Hence, it won't come as a surprise if he opts to rest out of some IPL 2023 games for RCB as well.

#3 Jasprit Bumrah - Mumbai Indians

England v India - 1st Royal London Series One Day International

Nursing with a back injury, Jasprit Bumrah missed a major chunk of matches for India in 2022. As a result, his unavailability hindered the most for the Indian team, especially at the Asia Cup 2022 and the T20 World Cup 2022.

India's bowling unit left a lot to be desired in crunch matches, with no bowler able to fill the void left by Bumrah.

2023 is going to be Jasprit Bumrah’s year 🤩✅

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However, in what came as a huge relief for Indian fans, the 29-year-old pacer was recently added to the Indian ODI squad that will partake in a three-game ODI series against Sri Lanka, starting on January 10.

Given his struggles owing to his injuries, Rohit is expected to use Bumrah in a cautious manner, resulting in the Ahmedabad-born missing a few games in IPL 2023.

#4 Hardik Pandya - Gujarat Titans

New Zealand v India - 3rd T20 [Pic Credit: Getty Images]

The resurgence of Hardik Pandya in 2022 was a sight to behold. After a forgettable 2021, the prime Indian all-rounder came out as a mature player and guided his IPL franchise, Gujarat Titans to a famous title win in their maiden season.

He continued his brilliant form in the blues of India and amassed more than 600 runs and also took 20 wickets across 27 T20I matches last year.

Top team performance to start off the year 👏🇮🇳 A big thank you to the fans that came out and supported us today🙏❤️ https://t.co/VxB68ZLVkn

Pandya continues to be an influential player in white-ball cricket for India and will probably be the most valuable asset for the side throughout 2023.

In previous times, India have tried players like Venkatesh Iyer, Shivam Dube and Vijay Shankar as backups for Pandya. However, none of them proved their mettle, which proved why the former MI player is irreplaceable for India.

To manage his workload, Pandya opted to rest out of one IPL 2022 group stage game and he might once again consider the same at IPL 2023 as well.

#5 Ravindra Jadeja - Chennai Super Kings

England v India - 3rd Royal London Series One Day International

Part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) team that has plenty of all-rounders, it might not hurt CSK greatly to rest Ravindra Jadeja from a couple of IPL 2023 fixtures.

Especially considering that Jadeja has missed all the games since the 2022 Asia Cup, the BCCI would want the left-arm all-rounder to prioritize his workload.

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Following the 2019 ODI World Cup in England, Jadeja transformed himself into a top-tier all-rounder and became an indispensable part of the Indian team across formats.

However, injury issues have been plaguing him over the past year and have kept him on the sidelines for a lengthy duration now.

Although he is expected to return to the team in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in February, a fit Ravindra Jadeja at the ODI 2023 World Cup will be of utmost importance for India.