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The first batch of Indian players departed for the United States late Saturday evening ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup, which begins on June 1. Captain Rohit Sharma was accompanied by head coach Rahul Dravid, batting coach Vikram Rathour, and a few other players as they departed from Mumbai. However, former India captain Virat Kohli, who was also expected to travel with the first batch of players, was absent.
Indian players, whose respective Indian Premier League (IPL) teams failed to reach the playoffs this season, were supposed to leave for New York on May 25, and that accounted for 10. However, it was later reported that players whose team will incur an early exit in the knockout stage of IPL 2024, will also travel, implying that the likes of Kohli and Mohammed Siraj of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, were slated to join the first batch as well.
However, while Siraj joined Rohit and the remainder of the Indian players, Kohli was absent from the group. Other players in the travelling contingent included Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel among others.
According to a report in Indian Express, Kohli extended his period of break post RCB’s heartbreaking IPL 2024 exit, and hence BCCI scheduled his visa appointment for a later date. The 35-year-old, who is the current Orange Cap holder with 741 runs in 15 matches in IPL 2024, is hence likely to miss India’s T20 World Cup warm-up game on June 1 in New York against Bangladesh.
“Kohli had informed us way beforehand that he will be joining the team late and that is why the BCCI has kept his visa appointment for a later date. He is expected to fly out to New York in the early morning of May 30th. The BCCI has agreed to his request,” a BCCI official told the newspaper.
The report further added that Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson and his Mumbai Indians counterpart Hardik Pandya will leave later than scheduled. Samson, in fact, informed the board that the reason for his delay in his departure for New York is ‘personal work in Dubai’.
Team India, the winner of the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup way back in 2007 in South Africa, will begin their campaign against Ireland on June 5 at the newly constructed Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, before taking on Pakistan on June 9 at the same venue. This will be followed by matches against co-hosts USA (June 12) and Canada (June 15) as part of their Group-A ties.

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