IPL 2019: 4 Indian players who may not play the entire tournament

The countdown to cricket’s biggest extravaganza has begun, this time with an extension in the form of the ICC World Cup. While T20 superstars would be raring to go in the world’s biggest T20 festival, their teams will be keeping an eye on their workload. Each IPL team will play a minimum of 14 and a maximum of 17 matches, which means every team will have to rotate their big players to give them enough rest before the World Cup. 

As far as the Indian team is concerned, coach Ravi Shastri and selector MSK Prasad have already spoken about managing the players’ workload in an effective way.  

Keeping in their mind their significance to India’s World Cup quest, these players may end up skipping a few matches:  

Virat Kohli 

Undoubtedly the best batsman in recent times, Virat Kohli will be leading both Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL and India at the World Cup. Kohli is a vital cog in the Indian batting lineup and a lot of the team’s success directly depends on his form. Hence, it will be imperative for the team management to rest their best player for some IPL matches. 

Rohit Sharma 

Over the years, Rohit Sharma has gone on to become a dangerous opening batsman who can destroy bowlers at will on his day. His success as the Mumbai Indians captain has also elevated him to a more responsible cricketer. And if India are to create any opportunities of winning the World Cup, they need Rohit at his best to give them a flying start.  

Bhuvneshwar Kumar 

He looked a bit rusty on his comeback to the ODI team, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar packs a punch when in prime form. Sunrisers Hyderabad will be counting on their strike bowler to deliver, but Bhuvneshwar is also part of a formidable Indian bowling lineup. Considering his tryst with injuries, he may have to miss a few games for his franchise.  

Jasprit Bumrah 

If there’s a bowler who has shown rapid growth in every format of international cricket, it is Jasprit Bumrah. His performances for Mumbai Indians earned him a national call-up, and there has been no looking back ever since. In Bhuvneshwar’s absence, Bumrah has been leading India’s pace attack and contributing significantly to India’s success. Bowling in England to some of the best batsmen in world cricket will need preparation of its own, and Bumrah may have to skip some matches for his debut World Cup.