The world’s biggest franchise league, the Indian Premier League (IPL), is set to begin soon. Several star New Zealand cricketers have opted out of their national duties to participate in the tournament, including regular captain Mitchell Santner.
Santner, along with Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Glenn Phillips, and Rachin Ravindra, will not feature in the upcoming T20 series against Pakistan, as they have received No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from New Zealand Cricket to play in the IPL, which starts on March 22. Additionally, Kane Williamson will also miss the series due to personal reasons.
With these regular players unavailable, several fringe players have been given an opportunity. The squad includes returning names like Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, and Jimmy Neesham. Matt Henry and Ben Sears have also recovered from injuries and rejoined the team, along with pacers Kyle Jamieson and William O’Rourke.
Michael Bracewell will lead the side. The all-rounder previously captained New Zealand against Pakistan last year.
The five-match T20 series will begin on March 16 in Christchurch and conclude on March 26 in Wellington.
New Zealand’s T20 Squad:
Michael Bracewell (Captain), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zachary Foulkes (last two matches), Mitchell Hay, Matt Henry (last two matches), Kyle Jamieson (first three matches), Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, William O’Rourke (first three matches), Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi.
