Anil Kumble Opines On The ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Schedule

With the commencement of the T20 World Cup 2024 looming closer, a whirlwind of debates and discussions has ensued regarding the preparedness of the Indian cricket team for the impending tournament, set to unfold in the West Indies and the USA. Divergent opinions abound on this issue. Some, echoing the sentiments of Harbhajan Singh, express concerns over the Indian team's readiness, attributing it to the scheduling of IPL 2024. Singh argues that the truncated IPL calendar has deprived the team of crucial warm-up matches, crucial for acclimatizing to the conditions expected in the Caribbean and the USA.

In stark contrast, former Indian cricketer and ex-head coach, Anil Kumble, presents an alternate perspective. Speaking to Hindustan Times, Kumble emphasized that players from IPL franchises not making the playoffs would depart early to familiarize themselves with overseas conditions. Subsequently, those from advancing teams would follow suit. Kumble contends that the IPL's rigorous schedule of 14-17 matches per team offers superior preparation for the T20 World Cup. He underscores the tournament's competitive environment, diverse playing conditions, and demanding schedule as instrumental in honing players' skills, thereby better equipping them for the global stage.

“With regard to the Indian players, people who are not part of the playoffs will certainly be going early, and the guys who will be playing or who will be part of the playoffs will leave immediately after the IPL. So, I don't see any reason why the preparation should be different. I don't think there's any issue with that. You can't get a better sort of preparation for the World Cup than playing in an IPL where you played either 14 matches or 16 or 17. So, in that sense, you've prepared really well in this tournament in terms of any situation and under pressure you played. So, it's a good sort of understanding of where your game is going into the World Cup,” said Anil Kumble while speaking to Hindustan Times.

Regarding the departure of English players from the IPL to participate in their T20I series against Pakistan, a move criticized by pundits like Sunil Gavaskar, Anil Kumble provided insights. He suggested that most franchises were likely aware in advance of potential player withdrawals during the tournament's pivotal stages. Kumble noted that teams typically have contingency plans for such situations. He also remarked that each nation adopts its unique approach to preparing for major tournaments, expressing no reservations about England's strategy.

"People knew that they would be leaving even before the start of the IPL. So, I guess as franchises, they sort of have those backups, and you don't have a choice. I mean, the World Cup is coming up and some of the teams will certainly look to have their preparation. And that's something that each team or each country has their own approach to preparing for a big event. And England chose to pull out their players. I guess every franchise knew that these players won't be available towards the back end of the tournament, so I don't think there's any issue with that,” added Kumble.