With the IPL being closely followed by the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies in June, the performance of Indian players in the ongoing league will decide the composition of the national team.
While a few players are certainties in the 15-member squad, a few spots are up for grabs including back-up options in case the first priority players suffer an injury or are sidelined due to some reasons.
One such spot in the playing XI is wicketkeeper-batter.
Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant, who made a miraculous return to competitive cricket following a deadly car crash more than a year ago, may have sealed his spot given his batting position down the order and his show in the league so far. However, there are still a few options, who can stake a claim as a cover for Pant.
One among them is Dinesh Karthik, who minced no words while showing his intention to be in the team for the tournament.
"At this stage in my life, it would be the greatest feeling for me to represent India," Karthik had said on the eve of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's game against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens.
The Tamil Nadu cricketer, who last represented India in the 2022 T20 World Cup, said on Monday, "All I can say is I'm 100 percent ready, and I'll do everything I can to be on that flight to the World Cup."
The other player, who has slowly come up the ladder during the IPL, is KL Rahul. For him, the start was good when he scored 58 off 44 against Rajasthan Royals in a losing cause but his strike rate was not at par with what is expected from batters in modern-day T20 cricket.
The right-hand batter then gradually made amends and looked solid in his team's emphatic win over Chennai Super Kings in Lucknow last week. He scored 82 off 53 with a strike rate of 154.71. His innings was laced with nine fours and three sixes.
Rahul added 134 with his opening partner Quinton de Kock in the first 15 overs chasing 177 to lay the foundation for an easy win.
CSK batting coach Michael Hussey was all praise for the Lucknow captain terming him a fantastic player.
"He (Rahul) is very difficult to bowl to because he can play shots all round the ground. He has been playing good cricket and looks confident which makes him very dangerous. He has that ability to play big innings, 80+ plus," Hussey told the media on the eve of CSK's return leg match against LSG at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Rahul's overall strike rate might be hovering around 143 in the first seven matches but what makes life easy for him is the below-par performances of other wicketkeeper-batters from the country who were in the reckoning before the start of the tournament.
Jitesh Sharma and Ishan Kishan are among them.
The former has scored just 126 runs in eight matches so far with 29 being his best. He is striking at the rate of 125.49. Kishan might have scored a half-century and his strike rate might be 172.97 but the way things have gone for him since the South Africa tour, there seems to be a doubt over his selection.
Rajasthan Royals' captain Sanju Samson leads the race among the glovemen as he looks in a great touch so far scoring 276 runs from seven matches with an average of 55.2 and strike rate of 155.05 including three fifties. But again, his and Kishan's batting position could pose an issue as the top three spots are seem to have been locked for the World Cup.
It's here where Rahul can go ahead of others. If not in the playing XI, Rahul can be a back-up opening option with his wicket keeping skill proving to be an additional benefit.
The cut-off date to submit the 15-member squad as per the International Cricket Council is May 1. The chief selector Ajit Agarkar is expected to meet captain Rohit Sharma during Mumbai Indians' match against Delhi in the national capital on April 27.
Rahul has two matches before the selectors zero down on the squad. The first one will be against the five-time champions CSK in Chennai on Tuesday and the second against Rajasthan in Lucknow on the day when the meeting is slated to be held. By then, Rahul can play a couple of aggressive knocks to improve his much-talked about strike rate and force selectors to have a look at him before announcing the squad.
* - Kishan and Samson stats until before RR vs MI match on Monday
