T20 World Cup will be played in Australia this year. Then next year in 2023, India will host the ODI World Cup. In such a situation, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has advised all the players to follow a strict fitness plan made by the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Players will also have to follow this plan in the IPL starting from March 26.
The fitness plan made under the supervision of the NCA is made on the instructions of the BCCI and the selectors to keep the top cricketers playing during the IPL fit. In this season of the league, NCA physio, trainers and head coach Rahul Dravid will take care of following this fitness plan by the players. The BCCI has also informed all the IPL teams about this.
The NCA, headed by VVS Laxman, is going to play an important role in the fitness of the players. Special care will be taken of the players who are likely to play in this year’s T20 World Cup and next year’s ODI World Cup. In view of this, the board had called all the contracted players to the fitness monitoring camp at NCA two weeks before the IPL.
Speaking to The Indian Express, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said, “Fitness is the first thing for us and we want our players to be fully fit before any bilateral or international match. We have organized fitness camps at NCA and such camps will continue to happen in future also. Our aim is to ensure that everyone meets the fitness plan set by the BCCI.
A cricketer told that, ‘Coach Rahul Dravid has said that you play for 10 months for India and play IPL for 2 months. So in terms of fitness, you must rely on the support staff and the NCA. Many players expressed concern over the reaction of the physio and trainers of the IPL team. But we were asked to leave these matters to the BCCI.
He further said that, ‘If the players face any problem with this plan, then they can inform the NCA or the management of the Indian team even during the IPL.’ It is worth noting that all these rules and regulations have been prepared to keep the players fit in the coming two consecutive World Cups. During IPL 2022, players will have to follow the instructions of head coach Rahul Dravid and NCA chief VVS Laxman.