India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies is expected to be named in the last week of April, as per a BCCI source. The ICC’s cut-off date for submission of teams is May 1, allowing every participating team to change players in their initial squad until May 25.
“The Indian team will be selected sometime during the last week of April, by which time the first half of IPL will be over and the national selection committee will be in a position to assess the form and fitness of the contenders,” the senior BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity.
The first batch of cricketers will depart for New York immediately after the conclusion of the league stage of IPL on May 19. Players whose teams do not qualify for the final four will leave early, similar to the process during the WTC finals last year.
Given that the tournament is being held in the USA and West Indies, it is expected that a few stand-bys will also travel with the team to avoid logistical challenges in case of injuries or unforeseen circumstances.
The four national selectors are attending most matches, unlike in previous editions when they traveled for select games and monitored the rest on TV.
There have been no instructions given to the hopeful players about workload management, as they are under the franchise’s control for these two months. However, if any centrally contracted or targeted player gets injured, their case will come under the purview of the NCA’s Medicine and Sports Science team.
For centrally contracted and targeted players (India A, Emerging India), the S&C coaches and physios need to keep the NCA informed. However, the BCCI cannot dictate how many matches players contracted with franchises will play, except for bowlers who are limited to four overs.
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