'I don't think there's any issue with that' - Anil Kumble presents different opinion from Harbhajan Singh on T20 WC scheduling

As the start of the T20 World Cup 2024 draws near, there has been a flurry of debates and discussions concerning the readiness of the Indian team for the upcoming event, which will be played in the West Indies and the USA.

There are two schools of thought on this matter. Some, like Harbhajan Singh, believe the Indian team's preparation is inadequate and attribute this to the scheduling of IPL 2024, which he argued has hindered the opportunity for 4-5 warm-up games that would've helped the team prepare for the conditions in the Caribbean and the USA.

Former Indian cricketer and ex-head coach of Team India Anil Kumble offered a contrasting viewpoint in comparison to Harbhajan. In his comments to Hindustan Times, the former leg-spinner pointed out that players from franchises that don't make the playoffs will depart earlier to get accustomed to the overseas conditions and will be followed by those whose teams advance to the playoffs. Kumble asserted that the IPL, with its 14-17 matches per team, offered superior preparation for the T20 World Cup. He highlighted that the IPL’s high-octane challenging environment, diverse playing conditions, and competitive schedule helped players enhance their game, making them better prepared for the World Cup. 

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“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 Kumble while speaking to Hindustan Times.

People knew that they would be leaving even before the start of the IPL: Kumble

Addressing the withdrawal of English players from the IPL to head back for their T20I series against Pakistan which allured flak by pundits and former cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar, Kumble stated that most franchises probably knew beforehand that some players would leave during the tournament's crucial phase. He pointed out that teams generally have fallback options for these scenarios. Kumble also expressed that each nation has its own way of preparing for major tournaments and that he had no qualms about England's strategy. 

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"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,” remarked Kumble.