IPL 2025: Following the dismal show in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) came up with a new diktat - where they urged players to feature in domestic games.

While most big names featured in the domestic matches, a few could not participate due to various reasons. One of the major reasons why a few players did not feature in domestic games was because of the England white-ball leg that was happening.

But now, ahead of another IPL season - the question is - should the big names from Indian cricket skip IPL to focus more on the Tests that take place against England - which will be part of the new World Test Championship cycle.

To be more precise, should Rohit and Kohli skip IPL for Test cricket?

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Should RoKo Opt Out of IPL 2025?

It will not be the first time a big player would opt out of IPL despite being fit to play.

Ben Stokes and a few Australian cricketers have done it in the past. For Team India, winning the World Test Championship remains a dream, despite having reached the final on two occasions. While it will not be easy for the cricketers to take a bold call of such magnitude as the stakes in IPL is high, the players could easily have a word with the Indian board and explain the situation.

Both Kohli and Rohit have not been in top-form in red-ball cricket and opting out of IPL would give them an opportunity to get back to the nets and prepare for the new cycle of the WTC.

The PROBLEM

Now the problem with IPL is - While it will give some much-needed game time to Rohit and Kohli, it surely won't be easy for them to switch to the red-ball format quickly. And there is not much of a gap between the IPL and the start of the Test series.