Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq feels missing the IPL could be a blessing in disguise for his team's players as they would enter the upcoming Champions Trophy relatively fresh compared to those who are participating in the T20 league.
"The IPL is a long event and the travelling can be taxing for players. We go to England fresh after a short break. The good thing is that we play one-day matches in Scotland and Ireland before the Champions Trophy and that will allow us to test our young players and settle on combinations," Misbah said.
Pakistani players have not competed in the IPL after the 2008 terror attack in Mumbai.
Talking about the Champions Trophy, Misbah said if his team can get past India, South Africa and the West Indies to qualify for the semifinals, it has the potential to go all the way to win the title.
"Our group is very tough and all teams in our group are title favourites. Playing against India anywhere is always a high pressure game and in England the atmosphere is similar to what we see in Pakistan and India when we play against each other," he said as the team prepared to leave for the United Kingdom early this morning.
"India have a good one-day side and their batting is strong and support for both teams will be high as they are large number of Pakistanis and Indians in England," he pointed out.
