Kyle Jamieson reckons IPL 2021 will serve as 'sharpener' ahead of the T20 World Cup

New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson opened up on his participation in the second phase of IPL 2021 and how it will help him fine-tune his T20 skills ahead of the much-anticipated T20 World Cup. Jamieson told ESPNcricinfo that the second leg of the IPL 2021, which is set to be held in the UAE, will provide him and other players with a head start in terms of getting acclimatised to the conditions of the Middle East. Jamieson said it is always nice to have some T20 games in the kitty before heading into the World Cup as it serves as a practice session to sharpen the skillsets. 

Jamieson was picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore for a whopping $2 million ahead of the 2021 edition of the cash-rich T20 league. The Kiwi pacer played his first match in the competition against defending champions Mumbai Indians. Jamieson played in all seven matches for RCB in the first leg of IPL 2021 and picked a total of 9 wickets. He is the second-highest wicket-taker for the franchise this season after Harshal Patel (17).

After the first leg of IPL 2021, Jamieson played for New Zealand in a high-stake World Test Championship final game against India in England, where he was the player of the match for putting up a great show with the ball. 

2021 T20 World Cup

In the T20 World Cup, New Zealand is in Group 2 of the Super 12 stage, where they will compete for a place in the playoffs against India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. New Zealand is one of the most powerful teams in the world and will enter the T20 World Cup as a favourite. The Kiwis will be coming off their first major ICC event victory since 2000 when they won the Champions Trophy, then known as the KnockOut Trophy.

The T20 World Cup will begin with the Round 1 Group B encounter between hosts Oman and Papua New Guinea on October 17, with Scotland and Bangladesh (the other teams in Group B), taking on each other later on the same day. The top two teams in each group will proceed to the Super 12 stage of the tournament beginning on October 23. They will meet the ICC's top-8 ranked sides. The knockout matches of the competition will be played on November 10 and November 11 respectively, with the final slated to be held on November 14.

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