Head coach Rahul Dravid on Monday said Indian cricketers who are in the plans for the ODI World Cup will play in the Indian Premier League barring injuries and senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will have workload management as the white-ball format will not allow them to play. One will get preference over the other.
According to the new policy of the Cricket Board of India, during this year’s IPL, the National Cricket Academy and the franchises will keep an eye on the workload of the main players in view of the 50-over World Cup to be held on the home soil in October-November.
Dravid said that players included in the ODI World Cup plans will play in the IPL as it will help them assess their T20 skills. He said, “The NCA and our medical team will be in constant touch with the franchises in terms of IPL and if there is any issue or injury, we will attend to it. If any player is injured or there is any other concern, then of course I think the BCCI has the right to remove them (from the tournament).”
Dravid said, “But if he is fit, we will release him for IPL because it is an important tournament. It is a very big tournament for the BCCI, considering our preparations for the 2024 T20 World Cup. Will not even play the series. But Dravid believes the break is necessary ahead of the two-week camp ahead of the crucial Test series against Australia starting next month.