Will the 15-day window between IPL and WC 2019 make any difference for the Indian cricketers?

Seven years ago, Gautam Gambhir, who was a key member of the Indian national cricket team then, found himself at the crossroads of the country versus club debate. Having played the 2011 cricket World Cup which ended on April 2 with India winning the tournament (Gambhir was the top scorer for the Indians in the final with 97), the Delhi left-hander then captained Kolkata Knight Riders for the entire Indian Premier League (IPL) season which started just six days after the WC final in Mumbai.

The packed schedule took a toll on Gambhir as he was clearly seen struggling with his shoulders during the IPL games and as a result of this overload, he was ruled out of the series in the West Indies which was due to begin a week after the conclusion of the IPL. Gambhir was scheduled to captain India in the One-Day International and T20I series in the Caribbeans but he stood aside, informing the BCCI that he could not take the load.

Controversy over who hid Gambhir’s injuries

The matter even took an ugly turn as Gambhir’s remark at a press conference suggesting that he had been kept in the dark about the seriousness of the injuries in shoulder and groin led to a controversy between the BCCI and KKR as confusion prevailed over who kept information about the batsman’s injuries secret.

How much have we learnt from the past?

In 2019, the IPL will have a little gap with the World Cup again as the T20 carnival preceds the 50-over gala. And this makes it all the more problematic. The 2019 edition of the IPL will begin on March 29 and end on May 19 and the quadrennial tournament kick off on May 30 and India will play their first game on June 5, against South Africa.

As per recommendations of the Lodha Committee which has been appointed by the Supreme Court, the Indian team will get a 15-day window between the IPL and WC, but will that still make any difference for the Indian players? How smart is the idea of making the national cricketers toil for nearly two months before the beginning of the biggest tournament – the World Cup?

IPL & WC clashed twice earlier – 2011 & 2015

This is the third time that the IPL and World Cup will be held as back-to-back competitions but while the WC was followed by the IPL in 2011 and 2015 (when the T20 championship started just 10 days after the WC final), 2019 will be the first time when the IPL will precede the World Cup and that makes the chances of controversy bigger.

If any key Indian player suffers an injury in the IPL and fails to deliver in the World Cup, who is going to take the responsibility? From how things have progressed, it doesn’t look the BCCI has learnt much from the Gambhir episode of 2011.

In 2015, key Indian players weren’t at their best in IPL

In the 2015 IPL, key Indian players like Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Shikhar Dhawan failed to impress which clearly suggested the toll the preceding World Cup played over a month took on their bodies.

Just imagine the same happening to the Indians in the World Cup next year after playing an entire IPL. Skipper Virat Kohli has been playing non-stop cricket with a little break here and there and he already said once that he needed to respect his body to be able to play for a longer time.

Isn’t it the responsibility of the board to ensure that these players remain at their peak for the maximum period by not commercialising their skills far too much?

India have a great chance to win 3rd WC title next year

India have a great chance to win their third World Cup title next year since they have been playing consistently well in 50-over cricket over the past several months.

Their recent 5-1 thumping over South Africa in their den was their ninth consecutive bilateral series victory in the 50-over format and the Indian fans would firmly believe that Kohli’s boys shift gears on time before the next big tournament where England could be their only big obstacle (yes, Australia would have been a force but for Steve Smith and David Warner who would be as dangerous after the ban, nobody knows).

Former captain Sourav Ganguly recently said that India are favourites to win the cup in 2019. We all would like to believe like him but the IPL of 2019 could be a potential threat to derail India’s ambitions.

Holding IPL abroad will add to players’ fatigue before WC

The worry is also multiplied by the fact that the twelfth edition of the IPL could be played in another country like South Africa or the UAE because 2019 is also a year of India’s general election.

Wherever it goes in case the administration refuses to guarantee safety to the matches since there would be pressure on them for political reasons, the players would also have to travel a lot which means they could be pegged back by fatigue all the more. This can dent India’s chances at the World Cup even more as the players will not be in their freshest of minds.

It will be interesting to see how the England cricket board manages its players for the 2019 IPL since England would feature in the inaugural game of the World Cup against South Africa on May 30. Some of England’s big names also play for the IPL. If England decide against allowing their players for the 12th IPL or let them appear for only a few games, BCCI should also take a leaf out of their book.

Why not hold a shortened IPL in 2019?

The IPL of 2019 can also be made a tournament of one round of matches so that it can be made a shorter affair, allowing the players a greater window to rest before the World Cup. The cricket board is not earning any less from the IPL and holding a shortened edition for a year would not mark any significant loss to its coffers.

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