'By the time IPL 2026 ends, India will have a blueprint' - Gambhir on 2027 ODI World Cup

Indian coach Gautam Gambhir has highlighted that plans will be in place for the 2027 ODI World Cup by the time the 2026 IPL culminates.

After India’s T20 World Cup win, the focus now shifts to the ODI World Cup in 2027, the elusive white-ball accolade on Gambhir’s resume as a coach.

Speaking after his side’s thumping victory over New Zealand in the finals of the T20 World Cup on Sunday, March 8, the Indian coach spoke that the planning for the next tournament needs to start early, despite the break that the IPL will provide for the team management. 

"The planning for the 2027 World Cup will start after the IPL. There are 25 to 30 ODIs between IPL 2026 and the World Cup. This format is not played a lot these days. The earlier we start planning, the better it will be for us," Gambhir was quoted as saying by India Today.

The World Cup is to be co-hosted on the bouncy wickets of South Africa, along with Zimbabwe and Namibia. Gambhir elaborated on the toughness in playing in those conditions, iterating the need to pick the right players and combinations.

"South Africa is not an easy place to play cricket. We have to figure out combinations and identify the players who are suited to the conditions. The selectors and the coaches will do that. By the time IPL 2026 ends, India will have a blueprint for the ODI World Cup 2027," Gambhir added.

One of the key talking points is Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's future as both have expressed desire to play the 2027 World Cup.

Kohli is in a rich vein of form, with three centuries from the six games played against New Zealand and South Africa. Rohit’s returns on the other hand have been low, but the hunger to score runs is still persistent.

Both players will be turning up for the IPL with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Mumbai Indians, respectively.