Australians with IPL deals have the chance to put their name forward for the World Cup squad later this year
IPL form to play key role in World Cup selection: Langer
The Indian Premier League is set to help shape Australia's Twenty20 World Cup squad as coach Justin Langer mulls some key selection calls.
The T20 World Cup remains the only major men's cricket tournament Australia are yet to win, with India to host the next edition in October-November.
Australia's recent T20 series loss to New Zealand, which Langer watched on television as right-hand man Andrew McDonald called the shots on the ground, helped provide some selection pointers.
But there remain spots up for grabs in what is expected to be an enlarged World Cup squad.
Langer said the IPL, running from April 9 to May 30 in India, will help provide answers.
Young pacemen Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith, sold for $2.48 million and $1.42 million respectively in the recent IPL auction, headline the list of Australians who will seek to use the T20 tournament as a stepping stone to the World Cup.
"There's no better showcase for some of our players," Langer told SEN.
"They're playing in the same conditions (as the World Cup).
"We'll watch that really closely and see who performs well.
"It's a great opportunity for a lot of players. They get to play a lot of cricket under pressure, that can only benefit them individually and us collectively."
Langer noted a group of "five or six" players, who weren't part of the T20 trip to New Zealand, remain certainties to take part in the World Cup.
Complicating matters for those three-format superstars, like Pat Cummins, is that next summer's Ashes will start soon after the World Cup.
"We've got to be really creative and strategic," Langer said.
Meredith and the BBL's player of the tournament Josh Philippe, who will soon reunite with Virat Kohli at IPL club Royal Challengers Bangalore, both debuted in the trans-Tasman series.
Matthew Wade, who doesn’t have an IPL deal, served as Australia's wicketkeeper throughout the recent T20 series but may yet hand the gloves to Philippe.
"It was nice to see Josh Philippe playing well. We know how destructive Matthew Wade is," Langer said.
"Wade kept well in this series, brings great energy.
"Alex Carey is doing really good things for South Australia and the Adelaide Strikers - there's competition there."
Australia are expected to lock in a white-ball tour of the West Indies in June, while a T20 tour of Bangladesh in October will serve as a tune-up for the World Cup.