5 Team India Members Who Might Not Find A Place In T20 World Cup Squad If IPL 2020 Gets Cancelled

With the proliferation of the global contagion that is the novel coronavirus, the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League, like other sporting events has been put under jeopardy. This years IPL was being looked upon as the dress-rehearsal for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in Australia.

But, with the chances of that happening looking pretty bleak, it has given a bodyblow to all those cricketers who were looking at the IPL as an opportunity to assert their credentials for the upcoming quadrennial event Down Under.

Also Read: Ashish Nehra Feels IPL Can Take Place In October If Things Return To Normalcy

Here’s a look at five current members of the Team India who might not find a place in the T20 World Cup squad if the IPL does not go ahead:

5. Rishabh Pant

He was being hailed as a rightful successor to Mahendra Singh Dhoni but such has been the form of Rishabh Pant in the past 12 months, that he is not even the first-choice wicket keeping option in white-ball cricket.

In the last T20I series that India played against the Kiwis, Pant did not even get a chance in any of the five T20Is despite the Men in Blue experimenting with their playing 11 after having won the rubber. The upcoming IPL would have been a great opportunity for the southpaw to claw his way back into the first-choice XI.

4. Shikhar Dhawan

It has been a debate for a long period of time as to who should partner Rohit Sharma at the top of the order in T20I cricket. While Dhawan has been a different beast in the 50-over format of the game, the same cannot be said in the 20-over cricket.

His inability to get off the blocks from the outset and frequent injuries coupled by KL Rahul’s whirlwind form in the past season, means Dhawan is no longer the first-choice opener in T20I cricket for India. The southpaw would have been looking at this years’ IPL as an opportunity to redeem his T20I career, but with the 13th edition in jeopardy, the same can be said about the chances of Dhawan making it to the playing 11 in the T20 World Cup.

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3. Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson earned a national call-up after a hiatus of five years when he smashed a whirlwind double-hundred during the 2019 Vijay Hazare Trophy.

But the Kerala wicketkeeper-batsman had to wait for a long time on the bench as the team-management kept on persisting with Rishabh Pant. But, when he did get his chance, the right-hander fell to reckless shots and was unable to take full toll of those chances

The upcoming IPL would have been a great opportunity for Samson to assert his credentials as the backup option to the current first choice wicket-keeper KL Rahul, but with the season being in jeopardy, so are the chances of Samson of making it to the T20 World Cup squad.

Also Read: Sanju Samson Cherishing The Time He Got To Spend With Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma In The Dressing Room

2. Navdeep Saini

Another player for whom the 2020 IPL edition was crucial, is Navdeep Saini. Saini, in his limited International outings has impressed with his precocious pace.

In 9 T20I matches that the Karnal bolter has racked up 13 wickets at an average of 18.08 and an economy rate of 7.16. The current Indian set-up has a plethora of bowling options in the form of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.

If everyone is fit and firing, then the likes of Shardul Thakur may pip Saini because of his all-round skills. Saini, during the second ODI in the recently-concluded series against New Zealand showed that he is no mug with the bat and the IPL would have been an ideal chance for him to showcase that to the hilt.

Also Read: Jos Buttler Feels That It Is A Massive Shame That IPL Is Not Going Ahead

1. Shivam Dube

He was being hailed as the rightful successor to Hardik Pandya when the latter was out of action due to injury in the recently concluded 2019-20 season, and while he did have his moments of glory, those days were few and far in between.

Dube made a telling effect when he claimed three crucial wickets to help India script a 2-1 win over Bangladesh. In the same series, he was promoted up the order where he scored a whirlwind half-century.

But barring these two performances, the Mumbai all-rounder has failed to make the most of his opportunities. In 12 T20I matches, the southpaw has managed 105 runs at an average of 17.5. His weaker suit has undoubtedly been his bowling where he has averaged 43.2 for his 5 wickets.

Dube was scheduled to feature for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2020 and with Hardik Pandya back into the fold, it would have been an ideal opportunity for him to assert his credentials as a valuable backup to Hardik Pandya courtesy valuable performances for his franchise. But, with the IPL in doldrums, chances of that happening look pretty bleak at the moment.