'Completely drained from 2023' Zampa prioritises fitness over IPL for T20 World Cup readiness

Zampa was all set to feature in Rajasthan Royals’ IPL campaign this year, before pulling out before the start of the tournament. He had featured for the Royals in the 2023 season and finished with eight wickets at an average of 23.5 and a strike rate of 16.5.

The leg-spinner could've been an important asset in the arsenal of his IPL franchise again this year but decided against it after placing importance on his physical and mental well-being and the need to spend time with his family.

Having been “drained” from incessant cricket over the last 12 months, in which Australia were crowed the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup champions in November 2023, the leg-spinner opted out of this edition of the IPL, to give himself a well-needed rest ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies.

Speaking to the Willow Talk podcast, Zampa detailed his reasons.

“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 consistent presence in Australia's white-ball lineup in recent times, having appeared in 23 ODIs and eight T20Is since the beginning of 2023, including Australia’s successful World Cup campaign in India in October-November. Additionally, he also competed in the last edition of the Big Bash League during this timeframe.

“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.”

While appearing in the IPL could’ve 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 little clarity on how much cricket he would've played in this season of IPL.

“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 featured in three T20 World Cups and has 23 wickets at an average of 13.3. His best came in Australia’s victorious 2021 campaign, where he picked 13 scalps at an average of 12.07.

The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 kicks off on 1 June. England are the defending champions after having won the last tournament by defeating Pakistan by five wickets in the final in Melbourne.