Rephrase the title:India squad for 2024 T20 World Cup: Who will make the cut, who is out and who are on the fringes?

With the conclusion of the India vs England Test series, the attention of fans across India will turn to the Indian Premier League (IPL), set to begin on March 22. This year, the tournament will have extra significance as the T20 World Cup is set to take place in West Indies and USA immediately after the IPL.

Bet here on IPL 2024 and other cricket matches!

The tournament represents another chance for India to lift an ICC trophy, not having done so since 2013, when the Men in Blue won the Champions Trophy. Their best chance came in the World Cup, but they were defeated Australia in the final, on home turf.

The teams are required to submit their 15-player squad lists roughly a month prior to the tournament, which starts in June. Who will be in and out for India?

India squad for 2024 T20 World Cup: Who will make the cut, who is out and who are on the fringes?

In the last edition of the T20 World Cup in 2022, India won four out of their five group stage matches to qualify for the semi-final. However, they were handed a demoralising 10-wicket loss eventual champions England, when Alex Hales and Jos Buttler put on a 170-run opening stand.

A few members from that squad will almost certainly not be picked this time around; Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Hooda and Dinesh Karthik have not been in and around the T20 setup since 2022.

Rohit Sharma has been confirmed to lead India in 2024. His Mumbai Indians teammate Suryaumar Yadav is also a lock in the squad. Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah pulled out of the last tournament with an injury, but will be another sure-shot candidate if he is fit.

Arshdeep Singh has played 25 of India’s 28 T20Is since the T20 World Cup, so there is a high chance he will be picked as well. Hardik Pandya, who has occasionally captained India, the country’s premier pace bowling all-rounder and will be in the squad, provided his body holds up through the IPL. Another all-rounder, Axar Patel, will surely be in the squad but not necessarily in the starting XI.

Will Virat Kohli play in the 2024 T20 World Cup?

The glaring omission from this list is star batter Virat Kohli. Previously assumed to be a certainty, reports from earlier this month suggested that he could be left out as the selectors feel his game is not suited to the slower wickets in West Indies. At this moment, it is uncertain whether he will be included in the squad or not.

All eyes were on Kohli as IPL 2024 kicked off last week. After failing to make a mark in the season opener against CSK where he scored just 21 runs from 20 balls. ‘King’ Kohli though came back strongly in the second game as he played a brilliant knock of 77 runs off 49 balls to guide RCB to a win over PBKS.

After the match, the former Indian skipper sounded confident of making a comeback to the Indian team as he said in the post-match press conference. He said, “I know my name is often used to just promote the T20 game across the world these days but still got it I guess.”

Who are the other probables for India’s 2024 T20 World Cup squad?

Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal’s spectacular form over the last 18 months means he could well open alongside Rohit Sharma, but his competition is likely to be with Shubman Gill. Rinku Singh could also earn a spot in the middle-order with his stellar displays for India and Kolkata Knight Riders.

The wicketkeeper slot is a difficult one for India. KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Dhruv Jurel and Jitesh Sharma are all in the frame with the final selection likely to come down to form and/or fitness. Kishan is unlikely to make it, given his exclusion from the BCCI’s central contract list earlier this month.

Harshal Patel seems to have fallen out of favour in the Indian T20 setup, but as a specialist death bowler could return if he has a good IPL. The lead spinner’s spot is likely to go to Ravi Bishnoi, but Kuldeep Yadav and/or Yuzvendra Chahal could run him close with a solid IPL. Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar and Deepak Chahar are all in the frame as pace options.