6 Indian cricketers who shouldn't take part in IPL 2019

Indian cricket team which recently won the Asia Cup recently is quite busy for the next few months. Firstly, the Indian team is currently playing against the West Indies before they travel to the southern hemisphere. Just 10 days after playing against West Indies, India will be competing against Australia. After that India will travel to New Zealand, which will be India's last international assignment before the World Cup of 2019.

But before the prestigious quadrennial tournament, most Indian cricketers have to go through a gruelling extravaganza called the Indian Premier League. The next year's IPL might be a bit more tiresome for the cricketers as the tournament is expected to involve more travelling than usual due to the 2019 general elections in India.

Months before the tournament begins, IPL has already started affecting India's plans for the World Cup. Originally, India was supposed to kick-start their World Cup on 2nd June but will now start their campaign on 5th June to maintain the mandatory 15-day gap between the Indian Premier League and India's international commitments. IPL will be scheduled to finish by May 19 so India can only start their World Cup campaign earliest by June 4 in order to follow the regulations set by Supreme Cout appointed Lodha Committee.

With a very little gap between the Indian Premier League and the World Cup, the risk of losing a key player to injury or fitness issues is high. Even if the player hasn't sustained any injury the toll on player's body due to participation in IPL might restrict a player from giving his best in the quadrennial championship. With the stakes being high, BCCI might have to take a decision soon at least regarding the participation of a few key players. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Here is a compilation of the 6 key players India cannot afford to lose before the World Cup due to IPL:

*All stats in the article are updated till 7 October 2018*

*Disclaimer: The author understands how important these players are for their respective IPL franchises but does not want BCCI to risk these players before the World Cup. *

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#6 Kedar Jadhav

Kedar Jadhav sustained a hamstring injury in the Asia Cup final

The Indian cricket team which was once known for many part-time spin bowling options in their lineup bowlers is facing a unique situation right now. Amongst the top 6 batsmen in the current team, Kedar Jadhav is the only player who can offer his services with the ball.

During the 2011 World Cup won by India, they had at least five, sometimes six, spin bowling options - Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan and Suresh Raina - in addition to the four frontline bowlers to cover the rest of the 10 overs. Now players like Virat Kohli do not bowl anymore, so losing Kedar Jadhav to an unforeseen circumstance would leave India with four frontline bowlers and the Hardik Pandya.

Kedar Jadhav's talent with the ball was identified by MS Dhoni and Anil Kumble in 2016 when he troubled the left-handed Kiwi batsmen. He has time and again proved his worth with the ball providing India with breakthroughs at the right moments. The presence of an additional bowler who can be measly and accurate provides a lot more balance to the side.

After suffering a hamstring injury in the opening match of the 2018 Indian Premier League, Jadhav had to stay away from cricket for six months. Once he regained his fitness he was straight away included in the limited overs team for Asia Cup. During the tournament, he instantly proved his worth with the bat and also with him low-arm accurate bowling. He also registered his best bowling figures of 3-23 during his matching winning performance against Pakistan in the group stage.

#5 Hardik Pandya

An injury to Pandya might prove costly

Another key player who suffered an injury during the Asia Cup was Hardik Pandya. With all the discussion about the all-rounders, Hardik Pandya is India's numero uno all-rounder in the team. In the Asia Cup, Ravindra Jadeja filled in perfectly for Pandya but that might not be the case in the World Cup next year considering the fact that it is being played in England.

Hardik Pandya, with no doubt, is key to India's plan for the 2019 World Cup. He is India's best fast bowling all-rounder and his presence in the team provides the balance to the side. In recent times, Pandya has improved a lot as a bowler and has been making contributions with the bat down the order.

If Pandya suffers an injury in the IPL, in which is set to play at least 14 games for Mumbai Indians, India has no replacement in the fast bowler slot and that will have huge repercussions in the World Cup.

#4 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar can contribute with the bat too

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been nursing his back injury for quite a while now. Due to excess workload, the injury has been resurfacing on a regular basis. Even in this year's IPL, he missed quite a few matches due to the injury. During the limited-overs matches in the recently concluded tour of England, he again injured his back and missed the whole Test series.

India not only missed his services with the bowl but also missed his contributions with the bat lower down the order. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has the ability to swing the ball both ways and with the pitches and weather providing some assistance to swing bowling he can be a lethal bowler. He is also one of the best death bowlers in the world and India cannot afford to lose him considering the fact the World Cup is in England.

#3 Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah is currently the No.1 bowler in ODIs

Jasprit Jasbirgsingh Bumrah is one of the biggest talents unearthed by the Indian Premier League. During the 2013 Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy, former India coach John Wright, who was with the Mumbai Indians, spotted Jasprit Bumrah and soon signed him for the franchise. In his first season, Bumrah played just two games but five years down the line he became a key member not only in the Mumbai Indians side but also in the Indian team in all three formats.

Bumrah currently ranked one in ODIs, is very accurate with his line and length. His partnership with Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the top and in the death overs can be deciding factor in India's World Cup campaign. With Bumrah currently playing all three formats of the game, his workload will be huge in the upcoming months due to the tours to Australia and New Zealand. After the two rigorous tours, is India willing to take the risk with Jasprit Bumrah by allowing him to play in IPL?

#2 MS Dhoni

Dhoni's presence has a huge impact on the team

Unlike the other five players in the list who play all three formats, MS Dhoni plays just limited overs cricket but age is not on his side. MS Dhoni, undoubtedly, is one of the fittest players in the Indian team but he will also be one of the oldest players in the World Cup next year. MSD might not be the captain of the India side but he is the leader with a very good understanding of the game and vast experience.

Dhoni's presence itself is a big boost to the Indian team considering his cool and calm composure in the game. The way he helped India chase down Sri Lanka's total in the 2011 World Cup is a testimony in itself. In addition to that, India doesn't have a wicketkeeper who is so accurate behind the stumps. MS Dhoni is the complete package, especially in ODI cricket, who can help India win the World Cup next year.

#1 Virat Kohli

Virat 'run machine' Kohli

Virat Kohli has been amassing runs just for fun in recent times. He scored 9779 runs in ODIs so far is on the verge of breaking in into the 10K club. In 203 innings, he has scored 35 centuries and is next only to Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 49 centuries in 452 innings. At this rate, Virat Kohli is all set to create a plethora of records in the times to come. Virat and the openers - Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma - have been so consistent in the last two years that the rest of the batting line-up has been tested only on a few occasions.

After becoming the captain of the side, Kohli took his game to a completely different level. As a captain, Virat Kohli averages 82.67 with a strike rate of 98.74. During his captaincy, Kohli made a century once in every four matches (13 centuries in 52 matches as captain.) India does not have a replacement if the Indian captain gets injured playing for Royal Challenger Bangalore during the IPL. Can India even take a chance of losing its biggest asset before the World Cup?