India's 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies is expected to be announced in the final week of April, as per a BCCI source. The ICC's deadline for team submissions is May 1, with teams permitted to make changes to their initial squads until May 25.
The Indian team will be selected sometime during the last week of April, by which time the first half of the IPL will be over. The national selection committee will assess the form and fitness of the contenders before finalizing the squad, as per a senior BCCI source.
The first group of cricketers will depart for New York right after the conclusion of the league stage of the IPL on May 19. Players from teams not making it to the final four will depart earlier, similar to the arrangements made during the WTC finals last year, as per the source.
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Given that the tournament will take place in the USA and West Indies, it is anticipated that some of the stand-by players will accompany the team to mitigate logistical challenges in case of injuries or unforeseen events. The four national selectors will attend most matches, a departure from previous editions where they primarily monitored matches via television, underscoring the importance of this World Cup.
The T20 World Cup 2024 will showcase a record 20 teams, marking an increase from the 16 teams in the 2022 edition. With a total of 55 matches scheduled, this tournament stands as the largest cricket event ever organized by the ICC. In addition to the host countries, the top eight teams from the previous competition earned automatic qualification, alongside the subsequent two teams from the ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings.
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