Amid the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is expected to announce the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup later this month. According to a report in Dainik Jagran, India captain Rohit Sharma will meet the chairman of selection committee Ajit Agarkar and the rest of the office bearers to discuss the 15-man probables. The meeting will reportedly take place on either April 27 or 28 in Delhi.
The report claimed that Rohit will be in the national capital during that time for the IPL 2024 match between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians, which will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Saturday, April 27.
Agarkar is currently in Spain for a vacation, but will return in time for the meeting in Delhi.
As per ICC, the deadline to submit the 15-man squad list is May 1.
The likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj are all expected to make the cut for the squad.
Focus on Hardik Pandya‘s form
However, star all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s place in the team isn’t a certainity, claimed the report. His selection will depend on his performance in IPL 2024.
Hardik, who is currently leading Mumbai Indians, hasn’t been bowling in full tilt this season, while his batting has also been pretty average.
Meanwhile, the selectors are also monitoring the situation between Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal for the openers slot.
Gill currently has the edge over Jaiswal, who has struggled in the first seven games for Rajasthan Royals. However, his performances in the past might force the selectors to think otherwise.
Also, one of either Rinku Singh or Shivam Dube could be left out of the squad.
As far India’s second wicketkeeper is concerned, the selectors are keeping a close eye on the likes of Sanju Samson, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan, who is currently out of a central contract.
Last but not the least, Yuzvendra Chahal is in contention for a place in the squad, but the likes of Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi are also in the race.
Chahal hasn’t played a T20 World Cup yet but his experience and IPL performances might give him the edge.
