IPL 2020: 3 Indian players whose T20 World Cup spot could depend on their IPL performance
The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) will begin on 29 March in Mumbai, and will conclude with the final at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on 24 May. The player auction for the 2020 edition was held at Kolkata in December last year.
Among the changes for this year’s edition include an All Stars match which will be held three days prior to the start of the main tournament. Further, a separate umpire will look after the no-balls in the wake of the huge controversy that erupted over Lasith Malinga’s missed no-ball in last season’s encounter between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Every year, the IPL is seen as an opportunity for players to put their name in contention for national selection. However, with the T20 World Cup to be held in Australia in the second half of the year, this season’s IPL assumes even greater significance.
Here’s a look a three Indian cricketers whose place in the T20 World Cup squad could hinge on their performance in this year’s IPL.
#3 Shikhar Dhawan
As of now, Shikhar Dhawan has a 50-50 chance of making the T20 World Cup squad. While his performances in the format over the last 12 months have been far from encouraging, it is no secret that the left-hander enjoys the confidence of the team management.
Since the start of January 2019, Dhawan has featured in 15 T20Is and has scored just 356 runs, at an average of 25.42. Despite being an opener, he has only one fifty to his credit, which came against Sri Lanka in Pune at the start of the New Year.
The southpaw hasn’t looked fluent during most of his visits to the crease during this period, putting additional pressure on Rohit Sharma and skipper Virat Kohli.
His fitness is also a concern. Starting with the ODI World Cup last year, Dhawan has been constantly in and out of the team owing to various injury issues, some of them freak. In his absence KL Rahul has made a significant impact, and has definitely booked his place for the T20 World Cup.
Dhawan will need a good IPL to push his case for a berth on the flight to Australia. He has a stellar IPL record, with 4,579 runs in 159 matches. Fitness permitting, the left-hander will be raring to make another big statement in the T20 league.