Immediately following the IPL 2026, India will be back in action. The first match that they will play will be a one-off Test Match against Afghanistan at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh from June 6 to 10. This will be just 6 days after the final of the IPL, meaning that the players will have to be immediately back in action. However, we might see some big names not playing this one-off test match, as the BCCI have decided to take a drastic step, despite India desperately needing to climb up the World Test Championship (WTC) points table.

According to a report by The Times of India, top-tier first-choice Test players for India, especially captain Shubman Gill and star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, might be rested for the upcoming Test vs Afghanistan in an attempt to not burn out the players after a gruelling IPL season. This is mostly being done to keep the team fresh for the ODI series against Afghanistan and the white-ball tour to England, as the focus now remains on ODI and Test cricket because of the ODI World Cup 2027, and the WTC. The Afghanistan Test not being for any WTC points also plays a big role in this decision.

“There is not much gap between the IPL final and the Afghanistan Test, so the selectors and management will be wary of not burning out the players, as there are three ODIs, then the white-ball series in England," a BCCI source told the publication.

“There are no WTC points in the Afghanistan Test, and the stakeholders need to carefully manage the workload because some of the players would be on the road for close to two months and have a lot of cricket in the remainder of the year," he added.

“ODIs and WTC are priority right now, and you want your best players to be fit, fresh and available for the four Tests – two vs Sri Lanka and two vs New Zealand – and the many ODIs. Why even risk a Bumrah for this Test?" he further added.

However, the decision could further change if teams like Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians do not qualify for the playoffs. Only then willJasprit Bumrahand Shubman Gill be considered for selection.

With many first team players being rested, the selectors will likrely give call-ups to multiple stars who would make their India debut. Among the names are Gurnoor Brar, and left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, who have been part of the India setup. Harsh Dubey and Auqib Nabi too, could get debut call-ups after their stellar seasons in the Ranji Trophy. Devdutt Padikkar and Nitish Kumar Reddy might also get call ups according to the report.

“One thing is clear with this selection panel: they rarely jump the gun. It’s no secret that Gurnoor and Manav have been very impressive, as have Harsh, Auqib and Devdutt. It will all boil down to the discussions between the thinktank and the medical team because optimum utilisation of resources is going to be key here. No point putting your star players under the sun for a five-day fixture which offers no WTC points," the source added.

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Shaunak Ghosh is a Senior Sports Correspondent at Timesnownews with over seven years of experience in print and digital journalism. He holds a postgra...View More

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