WTC Final: First batch of Indian players leave for London

NEW DELHI: The first batch of Indian players, along with the support staff, left for London in the early hours of Tuesday for the World Test Championship final against Australia, set to be played from June 7-11 at The Oval.

The London-bound Indian team is to leave in batches and the congregation of the full squad for the WTC final will happen only by May 30, after the final of the IPL 2023 on May 28.

With their teams out of the reckoning for the IPL play-offs, players like Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur are part of the first batch. Seniors Virat Kohli and R Ashwin, whose teams Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals are also out of the IPL, will be leaving later, most probably on May 24.

Umesh Yadav, whose team Kolkata Knight Riders is also out of the IPL, may also reach England later.

"Outbound", wrote Shardul on his insta story along with his picture.

According to a Cricbuzz report, the original plan was to send the first batch immediately after the IPL league stage, which concluded on Sunday. However, some players have requested the BCCI to be allowed to leave at a later date.

"There may be departures everyday till May 30. Logistics arrangements are being made for almost every day, said a BCCI official.

Meanwhile, Jaydev Unadkat, who has been undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for a shoulder injury, is expected to be fit for the WTC final and he may leave after May 27.

Of the three standbys, pacer Mukesh Kumar will be part of the first batch and the other two, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Suryakumar Yadav, will travel after their IPL sides, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, finish their engagements.

The report also mentioned that the team may not get a warm-up match and the plan is to play a game among the touring members after everyone arrives in London.