On May 25, a group of Indian cricketers arrived at Mumbai airport to catch their flight to the USA. The group includes Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and the coaching staff. Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel, and Shivam Dube are among the other players in this group en route to New York.
Meanwhile, what left everyone surprised was Virat Kohli missing from the group. The star Indian batter ended his IPL season on May 22 with RCB’s ouster in the Eliminator. BCCI sources have revealed that the 34-year-old batter will join the Indian World Cup squad later and may miss the warm-up match against Bangladesh scheduled for June 1.
Virat Kohli Likely to Miss Warm-Up Match vs Bangladesh due to Late Arrival in USA
Along with Kohli, Hardik Pandya has also requested the BCCI for a late joining due to some personal reasons. On the other hand, Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who finished their IPL 2024 season with the Rajasthan Royals being knocked out on May 24, will leave with the second batch.
On Virat Kohli not leaving with the first batch a BCCI officail reveals, “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,”
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Virat Kohli will be on a 16-hour flight, making it unlikely for him to play in the warm-up game on June 1. Therefore, Kohli is expected to feature directly in the first group game against Ireland on June 5. Meanwhile, on the day of the IPL 2024 final, Kohli will be awarded the Orange Cap of the season along with a cash prize. However, he may not be available to receive the award in Chennai, so someone else will collect it on his behalf.