In a little over three months, India will spare no effort to deliver on the promise of attaining the pinnacle of World Cup glory they so gloriously won at home 13 years ago, starting with their tournament opener against Ireland on June 5. Thanks to the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL), otherwise the Men in Blue would have had to risk being in the final leg of the World Cup build-up period.

Discounting the mosaic of IPL’s spirited clashes, India has no T20 matches lined up before the World Cup. A hard-fought three-match home series against Afghanistan was all they had this year. Not only India, but most of the other sides among the top five nations have similar schedules, give or take a few T20Is. Yet, on the whole, India is playing fewer matches than most. What does it mean for the two-time World Cup champions?