'Winning IPL is more difficult than winning World Cup' - Sourav Ganguly
"You've to play 14 matches then playoffs in the IPL whereas you qualify for semis and then final after 4-5 matches in the WC," Ganguly said.
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Fans have blamed the IPL (Indian Premier League) for the Indian team's weak performance in the World Test Championship 2023 final against Australia. Notably, the IPL 2023 championship match was contested on the reserve day, May 29, giving the players only one week to prepare for the crucial match. The team didn't have enough time to prepare for the WTC final, which could have made the difference in the major game, according to the captain, Rohit Sharma.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has made a shocking statement in support of the T20 extravaganza, despite widespread criticism of the IPL from fans and experts. Ganguly stated that winning the IPL is more difficult than winning the World Cup because, unlike the World Cup, you must perform consistently across 14 matches in order to qualify for the knockout stage of the IPL.
"Winning the Indian Premier League is even harder than winning the World Cup. In the IPL, you must play 14 matches and then the Playoffs, whereas in the WC, you qualify for the Semifinals and then the Final after playing 4-5 matches.
Notably, players such as Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (reserved), and Shubman Gill departed India just one week before the IPL final 2023. Other players, however, played until the league stage ended on May 21, whereas captain Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan played until the second qualifier on May 26.
India arrived in England on June 3, 2021, in advance of the previous WTC final, which began on June 18, 2021. Despite the cancellation of the IPL 2021 because of a covid outbreak in early May, India was sent late for the major game, resulting in a loss.
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Meanwhile, both captain Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid were dissatisfied with their preparation time for the WTC final. It will be intriguing to see if BCCI does anything about the athletes' packed schedules before the next WTC final.
