Excitement is brewing as the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to kick off on March 31, and fans around the world are eagerly anticipating the arrival of their favorite players.
In the latest news, New Zealand cricket fans will be waving goodbye to Kane Williamson, Tim Southee, Mitchell Santner, Finn Allen, Lockie Ferguson, and Glenn Phillips as they will soon be hopping on a flight to India after being given the green light by the country’s cricket board to join their respective IPL teams.
Expected Departures
The quartet of Williamson (Gujarat Titans), Southee (Kolkata Knight Riders), Devon Conway, and Mitchell Santner (both Chennai Super Kings) will be released after the second and final Test against Sri Lanka beginning on Friday.
Meanwhile, Finn Allen (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Lockie Ferguson (KKR), and Glenn Phillips (Sunrisers Hyderabad) will fly out to India after the first ODI slated in Auckland on March 25.
The IPL kicks off on March 31, and the defending champions, Gujarat Titans, will take on Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad. Williamson’s absence from the New Zealand team has resulted in Tom Latham being named as the skipper for the ODI series.
The departure of these players will pave the way for Mark Chapman, Ben Lister, and Henry Nicholls to join the squad ahead of the second ODI at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on March 28.
The series will also see a return to the white-ball set-up for Will Young and Tom Blundell, who has been a standout player in Test cricket for New Zealand in the past 12 months.
Player Replacements and Responses
New Zealand Cricket has named Canterbury’s Chad Bowes and Auckland Ace Ben Lister as the two uncapped players in the ODI squad to face Sri Lanka. Lister is fresh from his T20I debut for New Zealand in India last month, while Bowes has earned his first selection in the Black Caps squad.
Head coach Gary Stead is excited to see new players in the environment and has high praise for Bowes, saying he has been impressive for several seasons at the top of the order for Canterbury and is an excellent fielder.
Stead is particularly excited about Blundell’s inclusion, saying he has been hugely impressed by him in international cricket over the past 18 months and domestically with the Wellington Firebirds. This is an exciting opportunity for Blundell ahead of a big year of white-ball cricket.
Upcoming Matches for New Zealand
New Zealand will be playing 16 white-ball matches between now and the start of May, giving players a number of opportunities to test themselves in both familiar and unfamiliar conditions.
Speaking about the upcoming matches, Black Caps coach Gary Stead said, “It’s always exciting as a coach to have new players in the environment and to have players putting their hands up to be selected again in a particular format. We are set to play 16 white-ball matches between now and the start of May, so there will be a number of chances for players to test themselves in familiar and unfamiliar conditions.”
