A player-by-player look at Australia's World Cup prep

The lead-in to the 2021 T20 World Cup has already been like no other and the unusual preparation is set to continue in the weeks before the tournament begins next month.

Australia's players will largely be tuning up for the World Cup away from each other, some at their respective Indian Premier League franchises and others with their state teams at home.

The rescheduled IPL will be played between September 19 and October 15 in the UAE, at the same venues that will then host the World Cup.

Australia skipper Aaron Finch said recently that given there are no internationals scheduled, taking part in the world's biggest domestic T20 competition in the same conditions as the World Cup is the next best preparation possible, adding his side will be able to play two warm-up games in the week leading up to their first World Cup game on October 23.

Australia's 15-man squad plus the three travelling reserves will be be spread across all parts of Australia and the UAE in the weeks leading up to the tournament, with the Australian-based players expected to depart in the first week of October.

We take a closer look at how each player is expected to spend the next six weeks ahead of their World Cup opener.

Aaron Finch (c)

Where will he be? Melbourne

Last T20 game for Australia: July 2021 v West Indies

Australia's skipper doesn't have an IPL deal for the 2021 season and he will instead spend the weeks leading up to the World Cup trying to recover from recent knee surgery. Finch went under the knife in mid-August and was given a recovery timeline of 8-10 weeks, which is a tight turnaround, but he's confident he'll be fully fit in time for the tournament opener on October 23. He aims to resume batting in the coming weeks, and his wife Amy this week gave birth to the couple's first child. "I'm confident of that (being fit for the World Cup)," he told cricket.com.au recently. "It will be come down to pretty minimal match practice, which I think being older and being around for quite a while plays into my hands a bit."

Ashton Agar

Where will he be? Perth

Last T20 game for Australia: Aug 2021 v Bangladesh

One of Australia's leading players on their winter tours, Agar is home in Perth and will train with Western Australia before departing for the UAE, where he's expected to play a key role at the World Cup. The left-armer will likely look to play at least WA's Marsh One-Day Cup game in Adelaide on September 22 before he departs and possibly the Shield game against the Redbacks later that week.

Pat Cummins (vc)

Where will he be? Sydney

Last T20 game for Australia: Sep 2020 v England

Australia's vice-captain won't be heading back to the IPL in the coming weeks as he has something much more important to attend to – the birth of his first child. Partner Becky is due early next month, after which Cummins will link up with Australia's squad in the UAE ahead of their first game on October 23. The COVID-19 lockdown in Sydney means he won't play any games for NSW before leaving the country. Cummins has missed Australia's past 18 T20 internationals (against India, New Zealand, West Indies and Bangladesh) and having not played any cricket at all since the IPL was called off in late April, he'll need to quickly hit his stride again once the World Cup gets underway.

Josh Hazlewood

Where will he be? The IPL

Last T20 game for Australia: Aug 2021 v Bangladesh

Having pulled out of the first stage of the IPL for personal reasons, Hazlewood has opted to return to the Chennai Super Kings as part of his preparations for the World Cup. Just how much game time Hazlewood will have at the IPL remains to be seen; Chennai are yet to confirm player availability for the tournament but overseas stars like Lungi Ngidi, Dwayne Bravo, Imran Tahir, Sam Curran and Moeen Ali are all in line to return, which will make it challenging for Hazlewood to squeeze into the best XI.

Josh Inglis

Where will he be? Perth

Last T20 game for Australia: Uncapped

After a dream 12 months that culminated in him coming from the clouds to win a World Cup spot, Inglis will spend some time in Perth before heading off on his first international tour. The right-hander was understandably keen for some time with family and friends having been playing in England since June, meaning an IPL deal wasn't seriously looked at as a lead-in for the World Cup. Instead, it's likely he'll look to play WA's matches against South Australia in Adelaide before departing.

Mitchell Marsh

Where will he be? Perth

Last T20 game for Australia: Aug 2021 v Bangladesh

One of the few Australians to have enhanced his reputation on the winter tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh, Marsh will stay with Western Australia before departing for the World Cup. The allrounder withdrew from the first part of the IPL due to bubble fatigue and won't be returning to the Sunrisers Hyderabad for the second stage of the tournament, deciding instead to stay at home in Perth and play some games for WA before flying out.

Glenn Maxwell

Where will he be? The IPL

Last T20 game for Australia: Mar 2021 v New Zealand

One of the few Australians guaranteed to be in the best XI of his IPL franchise, Maxwell will return to the Royal Challengers Bangalore and hope to rediscover his hot form from the first part of the tournament. Maxwell's combination with AB de Villiers at RCB is sure to be a joy to watch and, from an Australian perspective, will hopefully have him peaking at the right time for the World Cup. The right-hander is arguably Australia's most important batsman but in a squad with three frontline spinners who all turn the ball away from the right-hander, his off-spin may also be an important weapon during the World Cup.

Kane Richardson

Where will he be? Adelaide

Last T20 game for Australia: Mar 2021 v New Zealand

Another who withdrew from the winter tours for personal reasons, Richardson has informed the Royal Challengers Bangalore that he won't return for the second part of the IPL ahead of the World Cup. The fast bowler will instead stay at home in Adelaide with South Australia and look to play their Marsh Cup game against WA on September 22 before departing.

Steve Smith

Where will he be? The IPL

Last T20 game for Australia: Dec 2020 v India

Having been under an injury cloud for the World Cup due to an elbow injury, Smith has been declared fit for both the World Cup and the IPL. Smith played six of Delhi's eight games in the first part of the IPL under coach Ricky Ponting but he is not a guaranteed selection given the depth of top-order talent at the Capitals, including Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw and Shreyas Iyer, who has returned to full fitness. Star imports like Kagiso Rabada, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Woakes and Shimron Hetmyer also mean the competition is hot for the four overseas places. And with Mitch Marsh thriving on Australia's winter tours in No.3 position normally occupied by Smith, exactly what role the 32-year-old will play at the World Cup remains to be seen.

Mitchell Starc

Where will he be? Queensland

Last T20 game for Australia: Aug 2021 v Bangladesh

Having led the Australian attack on the winter tours to the West Indies and Bangladesh, Starc left hotel quarantine in Adelaide before he began another 14-day quarantine period in Brisbane with his wife, Alyssa Healy. With Healy heading to Queensland from Sydney for Australia's upcoming series against India, Starc had a choice of staying at home alone in locked down Sydney or joining his wife in Queensland before he departs for the World Cup. While the double quarantine period for Starc is far from ideal, the pair will have around a month together before going their separate ways for a jam-packed schedule over the next six months. It also means Starc won't play any domestic cricket for NSW before heading to the World Cup.

Marcus Stoinis

Where will he be? The IPL

Last T20 game for Australia: Mar 2021 v New Zealand

One of the few Australians all but guaranteed to be part of their IPL team's best XI, Stoinis will return to action with the Delhi Capitals before re-joining his Australian teammates. The allrounder, who skipped the winter tours for personal reasons, has been one of Delhi's best performers in recent seasons under coach Ricky Ponting and should be match hardened by the time Australia's World Cup campaign gets underway.

Image Id: A66B5096FA214E62B454018AF7B0079D Image Caption: Swepson celebrates a wicket during Australia's Windies tour // Getty

Mitchell Swepson

Where will he be? Brisbane

Last T20 game for Australia: Aug 2021 v Bangladesh

The leg-spinner made the most of his chances on Australia's winter tours to secure a World Cup spot, although it remains to be seen if the Aussies will opt for three frontline spinners – Swepson, Agar and Zampa – in the same XI at the tournament. Another long summer looms for Swepson, especially if he's again drafted into Australia's Test squad as injury cover for Nathan Lyon, so a break at home after the winter campaign would have been much needed ahead of the World Cup. The leggie should play the Marsh Cup and Shield games against Tasmania in Brisbane between September 28 and October 3 before flying out.

Matthew Wade

Where will he be? Hobart

Last T20 game for Australia: Aug 2021 v Bangladesh

With a young family at home and after several months away for Australia's winter tours, Wade will spend the coming weeks in Hobart before departing for the World Cup. The left-hander had signed a deal to play in the Caribbean Premier League but will instead train with his Tasmanian teammates, and take on Queensland in Brisbane to start the domestic season, before leaving the country again.

David Warner

Where will he be? The IPL

Last T20 game for Australia: Sep 2020 v England

The left-hander is expected to return to action in the IPL and while he would normally be a walk-up start, that's not the case anymore. The Sunrisers Hyderabad made the stunning decision to drop their former captain just before the tournament was postponed after a slow start to the season that left the franchise bottom of the table, with Warner averaging 32 and striking at 110 from six games. Battling the likes of Rashid Khan, Jonny Bairstow and Kane Williamson for an overseas spot, Warner's fate rests in the hands of two Australians – coach Trevor Bayliss and director cricket Tom Moody. It's unthinkable that a player of Warner's ability would spend the rest of the IPL on the bench, and Australia will be desperately hoping that's not the case, but nothing is certain after a year of upheaval at the Hyderabad franchise. Having missed Australia's past 18 T20 internationals through a combination of injury and unavailability, the dashing opener will be keen to find top form before re-joining the Aussie camp.

Adam Zampa

Where will he be? NSW

Last T20 game for Australia: Aug 2021 v Bangladesh

The Royal Challengers Bangalore announced that Zampa won't be returning for the second part of the IPL, with the franchise instead securing the services of Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga. Zampa had returned home early from the first half of the IPL, before it was officially postponed, and then was a key part of Australia's winter tours. The NSW Blues leg-spinner is based in Byron Bay on the state's far north coast and, if he stays there over the coming weeks to spend time with family, he won't be able to properly train or play with his state teammates before he flies out.

Travelling reserves

Dan Christian

Where will he be? The IPL

Last T20 game for Australia: Aug 2021 v Bangladesh

While not able to force his way into Australia's full squad for the World Cup, the veteran should get a nice tune-up for the tournament by returning to the Royal Challengers Bangalore. How much game time allrounder is able to get at the IPL remains to be seen, with AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell certain to take up two of the four available overseas spots in the XI. Ironically, Christian may end up battling a fellow Australian for a spot in the side, with the in-form Tim David a late signing by RCB after having a golden run of form in recent months.

Nathan Ellis

Where will he be? The IPL

Last T20 game for Australia: Aug 2021 v Bangladesh

A dream few months has continued for Nathan Ellis after he picked up an IPL deal with the Punjab Kings, who were one of three franchises chasing his services. With Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith not returning to the Kings, it's understood Ellis signed with them as he's much more likely to have some game time as one of the few international quicks on their roster. He will then remain in the UAE and link up with the rest of the Aussie squad where he'll train alongside the likes of Cummins, Warner, Smith and Maxwell for the first time.

Daniel Sams

Where will he be? Sydney

Last T20 game for Australia: Feb 2021 v New Zealand

The allrounder skipped Australia's winter tours for personal reasons and made himself unavailable for a return to his IPL franchise, the Royal Challengers Bangalore, for the second half of the tournament. Sams will instead stay at home and train with the NSW Blues before departing for the World Cup, although the lockdown in Sydney means he won't play any matches before he departs.