IPL 2024 has been thoroughly entertaining with batters dominating proceedings on a daily basis. But as the IPL dwindles to a close, the focus is slowly shifting to the all-important T20 World Cup, set to start on June 1st. On the same lines, there is quite some buzz around who will make the cut for Team India. Every cricket fan and critic is trying to correctly predict the squad and we thought we’ll make it easier for every budding analyst. Here’s a more comprehensive breakdown:

‍

The Undroppables

‍Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah

‍

It’s best to get some names on the board to get the juices flowing. Who better to start us off than captain Rohit Sharma right? Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli, both of whom have excelled in the Sixer Market of late, are also must-haves while arguably the best bowler in the world Jasprit Bumrah is a lock-in too.

‍

Likely To Make It

‍Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja

‍

Now over to favourites to make it to the side. Only one out-and-out spinner not named Sunil Narine has a Sixer match score average in excess of 5 in IPL 2024, Kuldeep Yadav. He should make the cut along with young sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal and veteran Ravindra Jadeja. Rishabh Pant, who recently returned from injury, has been balling in IPL 2024 and is set to start as the first-choice keeper for India.

‍

Probably Will Make It

‍Mohammed Siraj, Rinku Singh

‍

The two players mentioned above make for intriguing cases. Both Mohammed Siraj and Rinku Singh have underwhelmed this season in the IPL. While Siraj has only six wickets in nine matches with an ER of 9.50, Rinku has played second fiddle to KKR’s top-order with only 112 runs at an average and SR of 22.40 and 158 respectively. However, both of them have been groomed by Rahul Dravid and Team India for specialized roles in the team for quite some time now. With the process likely to prioritized, Rinku and Siraj should be on the flight to the Caribbean Islands and the USA.

‍

The Real Conundrum

‍Sanju Samson, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Yuvzendra Chahal

‍

Here’s where it gets spicy. Now Team India would ideally want a back-up keeper who can also bat anywhere in the batting unit. The two options that come to mind are KL Rahul and Sanju Samson. Both of them are in good form and are capable of playing both pace and spin well. Samson seems like the slight favourite between the two with Rahul’s performances at number five in the fifty-over World Cup could be helpful.

‍

India would also need spin-resources apart from Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja. While Yuzi Chahal, who again features in the top five wicket-takers this season, is a favourite, there is the curious case of Ravi Bishnoi. Bishnoi is the fifth-ranked T20I bowler in the world and has been sensational in the last year or so. Despite a sub-par IPL so far, Bishnoi might feel confident of his chances.

‍

Finally, the allrounder conundrum. Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya are vying for the same spot in the side. While Pandya is the more refined allrounder, Dube is in-form with his spin-hitting prowess on show for CSK this season. Dube looks in prime position to edge Pandya but it come down to Pandya’s bowling ability and fitness in the end.

‍

Special mention to top-order batters Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who are in sublime form too but are likely to miss out due to team balance and there being no real need for an opener with Virat Kohli in as back-up.

‍