IPL 2022: 5 players who can eye a comeback in Indian team ahead of T20 World Cup

The 15th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) is underway with 10 teams taking on each other to get the priced trophy. Several Indian players would be looking to use the tournament as stepping stone to get their ticket booked for 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The T20 World Cup is slated to start from October 16 and the final match will be played on November 13. The tournament will be played in Australia. To note, four teams from two global qualifiers will join hosts and the 11 automatic qualifiers from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 make up a total of 16 teams taking on each other to get their hands on the cup.

Meanwhile, team India under the guidance of head coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Rohit Sharma had started their preparations for the all-important tournament before IPL. The Men in Blue defeated West Indies and Sri Lanka in T20I series at home. After the IPL, team India will also take on South Africa, Ireland and England in T20I series to prepare for the World Cup.

On that note, let us look at five players who can make their comeback in team India after performing well in IPL:

1. Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik was one of the wicketkeeper-batters tried out by India during the Ganguly era of Indian cricket before the arrival of MS Dhoni. The 36-year-old has been in and out of the Indian team and in the limited opportunities he has been given, Karthik has performed well behind the wickets and with the bat as well.

Talking about Karthik’s numbers in T20 cricket, the right-handed batter has represented India in 32 matches in which he has scored 399 runs at a decent average of 33.25 and excellent strike rate of 143.53. Karthik played a top-notch innings against Bangladesh in the final of a tri-series played between India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka few years back.

Karthik has managed to perform well for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2022. Karthik played an excellent knock of 32 off just 14 balls in the first of the Red Army against Punjab Kings. He also made 14 off seven balls and closed out the match for his franchise in a game against Kolkata Knight Riders. The batter will be looking to perform well throughout the season to get another shot of playing for India.

2. Umesh Yadav

Express pacer Umesh Yadav will be looking to continue his good performance in IPL 2022 and present his case in front of the selectors to get a ticket to Australia. The 34-year-old can be a handy player in Australian conditions, which offers pace and bounce to the seamers.

Talking about Umesh’s numbers in IPL, the right-arm-pacer has played 123 matches in which he has scalped an equal number of wickets. The express pacer has also represented India in seven T20 matches and taken nine wickets at an average of 24.33. However, his economy is on a little higher side giving away almost nine runs per over.

The express pacer has been very impressive in this year’s IPL edition so far. He has scalped four wickets while giving away only 36 runs in eight overs he has bowled in two matches. Bowling with the new cherry, Yadav has already scalped some big names in the tournament including Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway.

3. Shikhar Dhawan

Despite performing very well in the IPL, Indian batter Shikhar Dhawan has not been given much chances to represent India in T20 matches. The left-handed batter represented India during a T20 series against Sri Lanka last year in July. To note, Dhawan was the skipper of that young Indian side touring to Sri Lanka.

Talking about Dhawan’s numbers in T20, the 36-year-old has played 68 matches for India in which he has amassed 1759 runs with an average of 27.92. Dhawan has also stroked 11 half-centuries while donning the Indian colours. Dhawan has also performed very consistently in the IPL making 5826 runs in 193 matches.

Even though the Indian top order is already filled with Skipper Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan, southpaw’s record in the ICC tournaments make him a good pick if in form. Dhawan will look to emulate his IPL performances and will hope that he is picked in India’s squad for the all important World Cup.

4. Rahul Chahar

After parting ways with Mumbai Indians, talented leg-spinner Rahul Chahar will want to perform well for his new franchise Punjab Kings. The 22-year-old tweaker will look to grab the Purple Cap (most wickets) in this year’s edition to put his name forward for the T20 World Cup in Australia.

Chahar made his T20I debut against West Indies in 2019 and played his last match against Namibia in group stage match of the T20 World Cup 2021. Talking about his numbers, Chahar has represented India in six matches and has scalped seven wickets in the process. He bowls with a good economy of 7.59.

With Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi being the first priority to be included in team, Chahar will have his task cut out. However, Chahar will still need to focus on his performances and leave the rest to selectors. Chahar has scalped 44 wickets in 43 IPL matches he has played so far.

5. T Natarajan

Known for his effective death bowling skills, T Natarajan can be a perfect death bowling partner for the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Hailing from the town of Salem, the left-arm pacer made his T20I debut against Australia in 2020. However, he has been in and out of the national team owing to his injuries.

Natarajan played his last T20 match in India against England in March 2021. The 30-year-old has represented India in four T20 matches in which he has take seven wickets and bowls with a decent economy of  7.62. Natarajan is representing Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2022.

The left-arm pacer proved to be quite expensive for his franchise in their first match of the tournament. He gave away 43 runs in his four-over quota, but took two crucial wickets. However, the 30-year-old will look to improve his performance in the upcoming matches and try to book a ticket for the all important tournament in Australia.