WTC Final 2023: Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel among first batch of players to leave for the UK

With the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 rapidly approaching its end, the four teams bound for the playoffs have been decided. With the World Test Championship final on the horizon, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) decided to make the Indian team travel to London in batches for the much-anticipated match.

With players, of the teams that have been eliminated from the IPL 2023, leaving early, the rest of the contingent will arrive in London after their respective campaigns end. Names like Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, and many more are part of the first batch. 

With the first batch of players departing, Shardul Thakur took to Instagram to share a picture of himself at the airport. Thakur posted the picture on his story and captioned it, "Outbound."

Furthermore, a picture of star all-rounder Axar Patel along with the coaching staff on the flight has also been doing the rounds on the internet. It has been well established that the first batch to depart includes some players but mostly consists of coaching staff, including head coach Rahul Dravid, and net bowlers Akash Deep and Pulkit Narang.

Jaydev Unadkat expected to be fit for WTC final

After the first batch of players, senior players like Ravichandran Ashwin and Virat Kohli, whose teams have been eliminated from the IPL 2023, are expected to leave for London on May 24, with Umesh Yadav also set to join the squad soon.

Furthermore, there have been several reports that injured pacer Jaydev Undakat is also expected to be fit for the WTC final. Currently in rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore, Unadkat could leave for London on May 27. The 31-year-old sustained a shoulder injury whilst training with Lucknow Super Giants; however, recent reports suggested that he could be part of the Indian team in the clash against Australia.