Picture Credit: IPL/BCCI
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has more to offer than its lucrative financial deals. The IPL has time and again provided a perfect platform to youngsters and veterans to prove their mettle and stage a comeback into the national side. The likes of Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah came into the radar of the national team selectors post their blistering performances in the IPL. Cast your mind back to the ICC T20 World Cup in 2016. Hardik, Bumrah were a part of it and contributed handsomely. All of these players’ recognition should be attributed to the IPL. The 2021 T20 World Cup edition is knocking at the door and all eyes will be on the IPL. In this article, we have selected 3 individuals who can make a case for themselves in the T20 World Cup squad, if they perform well in the IPL.
Prithvi Shaw
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Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL[/caption]
2018 Under-19 World cup winning captain Prithvi Shaw has had a rollercoaster journey so far in international cricket. But the highs are way more than the small hiccups he has had. A young prodigy from Mumbai, Shaw was touted as the next batting sensation of Team India and was shattering records with his blazing blade. But a dismal performance in IPL 2020, where he could manage to amass only 228 runs in 13 matches, started a downward spiral. He was dropped from the side and he had to pave way for Ajinkya Rahane in the top-order. He then flew to Australia and his misery kept piling up. He scored a duck and 4 runs in the first Test match and was immediately dropped from the side. The technical glitches in his batting shore up. But he came back with a bang and grabbed all headlines with his fiery performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He was the leading run-scorer and plundered 827 runs and scored 4 hundreds, including a double hundred. A good IPL season for the Delhi Capitals can see Shaw come to the T20 World Cup side.
Devdutt Padikkal
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Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL[/caption]
The 20-year old run-machine Devdutt Padikkal has taken the cricketing world by a storm. He has been a consistent performer in the domestic circuit and that bagged him a deal with IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2020. He had a sensational IPL 2020 and was one of the main reasons why RCB qualified for the playoffs. He notched up 473 runs in 15 matches. In this year’s Vijay Hazare Trophy too, Padikkal was ruling the roost. He scored 737 runs at a blistering average of 147.40. A good IPL season would certainly make him a strong contender for the World Cup squad.
Prasidh Krishna
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Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL[/caption]
Prasidh Krishna has been one of the most consistent performers in the domestic circuit and has been grinding it out for quite some time. He bagged 14 wickets in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and is all-likely to receive his maiden ODI call-up to the national side. He also has had considerable IPL experience as he is an integral part of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He has played in 24 matches for KKR, spanning from 2018 and has picked 18 wickets so far. The tall and lanky pacer can certainly be a valuable addition to the Indian squad for the World Cup, if he can replicate his domestic form in the IPL. The experience he has garnered by sharing the dressing room with international stars like Lockie Ferguson and Pat Cummins, can certainly boost his confidence.