In a departure from their usual preparations for major ICC events, the Indian cricket team will play only one warm-up match before the T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies. Traditionally, India has played two warm-up games leading up to ICC tournaments, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has insisted on holding the solitary practice match in New York, where the team will be based.
The decision to limit India’s warm-up matches to just one has raised eyebrows, with speculations rife about the potential reasons behind this move. Reports suggest that the organizers, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Cricket West Indies (CWI), had proposed a warm-up game in Florida, but the Indian players, already fatigued from the grueling Indian Premier League (IPL) season and extensive travel, were reluctant to make the additional trip from New York to Florida and back for a single practice match.
India’s warm-up matches have traditionally been highly commercialized events, televised and monetized due to the team’s massive global following. As the T20 World Cup approaches, all eyes will be on the Indian team’s preparations, with fans and experts alike eager to see how the solitary warm-up match impacts their performance in the marquee event. The ICC is expected to release the complete schedule, including the dates and venues for the warm-up games, in the coming days.
