Zampa Prioritises Fitness for T20 World Cup, Sidelines IPL After Exhausting 2023 Season
Adam Zampa, who was expected to play for Rajasthan Royals in this year’s IPL, withdrew before the tournament’s commencement. He had previously played for the Royals in the 2023 season, taking eight wickets with an average of 23.5 and a strike rate of 16.5.
The leg-spinner could have been a significant addition to his IPL team this year, but he chose to focus on his physical and mental health, as well as spending time with his family.
After a gruelling year of continuous cricket, which saw Australia crowned as the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup champions in November 2023, Zampa decided to skip this IPL season to rest and prepare for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies.
On the Willow Talk podcast, Zampa explained his reasons for this decision.
“There are several reasons why the IPL wasn’t for me this year,” Zampa said. “I think the most important one was the fact that it’s a World Cup year and I’m completely drained from 2023.”
Zampa has been a regular in Australia’s white-ball lineup recently, playing in 23 ODIs and eight T20Is since the start of 2023, including Australia’s successful World Cup campaign in India. He also participated in the last edition of the Big Bash League during this period.
Every wicket taken by Adam Zampa at CWC23
“I did the full IPL last year. Obviously, the World Cup was three months in India as well,” Zampa added. “So I had the best intentions of trying to play the IPL again this year. But once push came to shove, I felt like I just couldn’t really offer the Rajasthan Royals the best version of myself and looking forward to the World Cup, that’s what’s more important to me, that’s for sure.”
Adam Zampa’s star shone brightest for Australia ⭐
The Australia spin whizz claimed the best bowling figures at the #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/e9wrIsMkCi
While playing in the IPL could have theoretically helped Zampa prepare for the T20 World Cup, he made the decision considering his recent physical strain, mental well-being, and family commitments. There was also uncertainty about how much cricket he would have played in this IPL season.
“It came down to my decision being I probably need to put my body and my mental health first. Then you throw other things into the equation as well, like the fact that I’ve got a young family.
“It’s not easy to spend nine weeks in India in my situation where I’m fighting for my spot in the team as well.
“It’s not like I can say to myself, ‘Well, that’s alright I’ve got 14 games to prepare for a World Cup’. I don’t know whether or not that’s going to be two games or four games or six games.
“So, I kind of worked out that maybe just to rest, putting my family first, putting my body first, was better for me.”
Zampa has played in three T20 World Cups and has taken 23 wickets at an average of 13.3. His best performance was in Australia’s victorious 2021 campaign, where he claimed 13 wickets at an average of 12.07.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 will commence on 1 June. England are the defending champions, having won the last tournament by defeating Pakistan by five wickets in the final in Melbourne.