The World Cup 2023 will be played in India from October 5 to November 19. The tournament is in the same format as in 2019: 10 teams will play each other in the group stage with the top 4 proceeding toward the semi-finals.
The World Cup 2023 will see a few big-ticket players miss the tournament because of injuries.
Here are 3 big cricketers who could miss the World Cup 2023 due to injuries:
Rishabh Pant
India wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant is all but ruled out of the World Cup 2023 as he continues to recover from the injuries he sustained in the car crash in December last year. Soon after his car accident, Rishabh Pant underwent a couple of knee ligament surgeries as the most serious injuries were on his knees.
Will Rishabh Pant play in World Cup 2023?
No, there is no chance for Rishabh Pant to make it to the World Cup 2023 in October. He’s made significant progress, though, but is expected to return only next year.
In his absence, India have KL Rahul as the back-up keeper-batsman in the middle-order, but Rahul himself is recovering from a thigh injury. Rahul is expected to don the gloves in the World Cup with Ishan Kishan and/or Sanju Samson as his backup.
Kane Williamson
New Zealand team and its fans are hoping that Kane Williamson be fit in time for the World Cup in October. However, that seems unlikely.
Williamson sustained a ruptured ACL in his right knee when playing for the Gujarat Titans in the opening match of the IPL 2023. He underwent surgery for the same in April.
Initially, it had looked the New Zealand captain would miss the World Cup 2023, but his progress has been promising and there is finally a glimmer of hope, but the path to full recovery is still long.
Williamson is still unlikely to feature in the showpiece event in India.
Tom Latham is the interim skipper of New Zealand in Williamson’s absence.
Michael Bracewell
Another important member of the New Zealand team who is injured at the moment is all-rounder Michael Bracewell.
The spin-bowling all-rounder who also played for RCB this year is expected to be out of action for the remainder of 2023 after rupturing his right Achilles while playing for Worcestershire in the T20 Blast in June. This means that Bracewell will miss the World Cup 2023.
He underwent a surgery soon after his injury and is currently doing rehab. An off-spinning all-rounder, Bracewell would have been a crucial player for the Kiwis in Indian conditions.
