ICC World Cup 2019: MSK Prasad Confirms IPL Performance Would Not Affect Squad Selection

MSK Prasad, chairman of India’s selection panel, has given his statement on how his panel will pick the team for the upcoming World Cup. With no more international assignments and the team yet to be completely settled, all eyes are on the Indian Premier League. In the last few years, several players have earned national call-ups after impressing in the league only like Ambati Rayudu did last year.

India are yet to finalise their number four batsman and the fourth pacer. While Rayudu was seen as the batsman for the number four spot, his form this year including in the ongoing IPL has been a big area of concern.Similarly, India are yet to decide on who the fourth pacer will be. With Khaleel Ahmed failing to impress in Australia and New Zealand, India dropped him for the series against Australia at home.

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Siddharth Kaul was then named in the squad for the first two games but he did not play any of them.

Unsurprisingly, speculations are rife that the Indian Premier League will be considered by the selectors before they sit down to pick up the squad for the World Cup. However, MSK Prasad has now insisted that the selection panel will not consider IPL performances as any kind of marker. India captain Virat Kohli, who will be in Mumbai for Royal Challengers Bangalore’s game against Mumbai Indians, is also expected to attend the meeting next Monday. The selectors will name the 15-man squad on April 15.

“No I don’t think we are looking at IPL showing,” MSK Prasad, the chairman of the selection committee told India Today.

“No, not really. We are quite clear,” he added when asked whether a good performance can change their mind.

Just a couple of days ago, India vice-captain Rohit Sharma had also said the World Cup team should be not be picked on the basis of performances in a T20 tournament.

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“I feel IPL should not be the criteria for team selection. You can’t select a team for the 50-over format from a 20-over event, it’s my personal opinion. IPL is a different ball game. Its franchise cricket and yes, form matters a lot. But in the last four years we have played enough ODI matches, enough T20 cricket. That should be enough to understand these are the players that we want,” Sharma said.

With IPL performance no more considered by the selectors, it looks all over now for the likes of Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh. Time and again, both the players have expressed their desire of playing in the World Cup and are doing decently in the ongoing IPL but are now out of contention for a World Cup spot.