In India's T20 World Cup team 2021, Shardul Thakur has replaced Axar Patel. Meanwhile, Axar, along with Shreyas Iyer and Deepak Chahar, has been included in the squad's reserve list. Eight players will also join the team's bubble in Dubai to "help Team India in their preparations" for the event, according to the BCCI.
These are- Avesh Khan, Umran Malik, Harshal Patel, Lukman Meriwala, Venkatesh Iyer, Karn Sharma, Shahbaz Ahmed and K Gowtham.
The T20 World Cup will be held largely in the United Arab Emirates, where the IPL 2021 is also taking place, with some preparatory games taking place in Oman.
Thakur had a strong IPL season with Chennai Super Kings, who finished second in the league and advanced to the final by winning the first qualifier against Delhi Capitals. In the UAE leg of the competition, he has 13 wickets, tied for third-most in the time. His strikes have come at crucial times, as seen by his Smart Wickets tally of 17.5, which is only behind Yuzvendra Chahal's 17.62.
He hasn't had much chance to bat, but in the qualifier versus Capitals, he was moved up the order to No. 4 to make use of his ball-striking ability. He, on the other hand, was caught off guard by a first-ball duck.
Thakur may fill the seam-bowling allrounder role presently held by Hardik Pandya for the Indian squad. Hardik did not bowl in the IPL, and if he is unable to do so again in the T20 World Cup, Thakur may be in a position to fill the void.
Axar has also had a strong IPL season, particularly in the UAE leg, where his economy rate has been particularly excellent. He's likely been demoted to the reserves since Ravindra Jadeja is the team's first-choice left-arm finger spinning allrounder, while Axar gives a nearly identical alternative. If Jadeja is injured or unavailable, Axar will be called into the starting lineup.
The eight players who will be part of the Indian team's bubble and assist with preparations, others from the reserves, are largely pure bowlers. Venkatesh Iyer is the only one whose major skill isn't bowling, however, he may fill in for the seam-bowling allrounder if necessary. Avesh, Umran, Harshal, and Shahbaz are among the others who have participated in the IPL and have had various degrees of success.
Avesh has had a fantastic season with the Capitals, taking 23 wickets in 15 games while being entrusted with the challenging overs in the powerplay and at the death. As evidenced by a Smart Wickets tally of 30.08 for the season, the value of those wickets has been exceptionally high. Harshal has led the wicket list with a record-equaling 32 strikes while bowling for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the death overs.
Umran made a name for himself with his blistering speed, and he now holds the record for the fastest ball thrown in this year's IPL live T20 matches, recording one at 153kph. Shahbaz was utilised by Royal Challengers as a utility player, contributing with his left-arm spin and batting ability.
Meriwala, Karn, and Gowtham have yet to participate in the UAE leg of the IPL. Their teams, however, finished in the top two of the league stages - Capitals for Meriwala and Super Kings for Karn and Gowtham.