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Form and fitness – lots to look forward to as IPL action resumes in UAE

Form-wise, India would be hoping for their big guns to fire in the IPL and warm-up for the World Cup. Pre-suspension, the ten highest run-scorers in IPL 2021 had six Indians, of which only two – KL Rahul (No 2) and Rohit (No 8) – are part of the World Cup squad. While Rahul has featured among the top three run-getters in IPL in every season since 2018, neither Rohit or Virat have made it to the top five in the said period.

However, it must be noted that the likes of Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, and Varun Chakravarthy have donned Indian colours in the recent past thanks to their IPL exploits, and they’ll be hoping to hit the right notes once action resumes.

Among the bowlers, barring standby Deepak Chahar (2019) and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah (2020), no Indian has finished in top-three in the IPL since 2018, albeit Rahul Chahar, who has displaced Yuzvendra Chahal in the World Cup-bound team, is fourth-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2021 so far, and highest among the spinners.

Chahal, on the other hand, endured a dramatic dip in form in the same edition, and finds himself at the 33rd spot, with just four scalps from seven outings at an economy in excess of eight runs per over.

India open their T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan on 24 October in Dubai, eight days after the IPL final. Each of the 18 players in the Indian team –  15-man squad and three standbys – are important members of their respective franchises, with Kohli, Rohit, Pant, and Rahul being certain starters by virtue of being captains of their teams.

This, without doubt, puts an immense premium on the fitness and workload management of the players. 

— By Shantanu Srivastava