Team India might make an early start to their preparations for the 2024 T20 World Cup, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) reportedly set to send a few players to New York before the end of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season this year. The ICC event will begin on June 1 and will be played in two countries – the West Indies and the USA. India will play their opening game on June 5 in New York.
The fixtures for the 2024 IPL are yet to be finalised, but the tournament is tentatively scheduled between March 22 and May 26. This implies that the league stage of the tournament will likely end on May 19, thus deciding the four teams which will make it through to the playoffs.
According to a report in PTI, BCCI is likely to send a few of the Indian players early to the USA, of teams who do not make the playoffs in IPL 2024, while those who play the knock-out stages, will join them after the tournament gets over.
The report further added that while the workload of India’s core group of players bound for the T20 World Cup would be crucial during the IPL season, BCCI has not instructed the respective franchises on managing it during the tournament, considering it a rather fair move with the team paying hefty amounts to these players to participate.
“They are being paid highly and they can’t pick and choose games for franchises. But yes, for all those centrally contracted and targeted players (next lot), the franchise’s support staff will have to regularly provide fitness update to the NCA Sports Science head Nitin Patel,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
India have been placed in Group C in the 2024 T20 World Cup, where they have been clubbed with arch-rival Pakistan, co-hosts USA, along with Canada, who will make their first-ever appearance at the event, and European side Ireland.
Ten of the 20 participating teams will play their first match of the World Cup in the USA, with 16 contests to be held in Lauderhill, Dallas and New York. Even the mouth-watering clash between India and Pakistan has been scheduled for the new Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in Long Island on 9 June. Meanwhile, 41 matches will be played in the Caribbean, which includes the title decider.
India will play three of their four group matches in New York, which includes matches against Ireland, Pakistan and USA, while their final league game, against Canada, will be played in Florida.
