New Zealand stars set to skip Pakistan T20Is for 2024 IPL - Reports
A set of major players from the New Zealand camp are set to skip the upcoming away five-match T20I series against Pakistan as it coincides entirely with the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL).
The Blackcaps are scheduled to tour Pakistan as part of their T20 World Cup 2024 preparations, but the likes of Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Trent Boult, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Devon Conway, Mitchell Santner, and Lockie Ferguson will all be involved with their respective IPL franchises. According to a report by Geo Super, the Kiwi stars are unlikely to leave their assignments midway through the IPL league stage.
The Men in Green hosted New Zealand for a white-ball series in the same window as the IPL in 2023 as well, resulting in a second-string Kiwi team touring Pakistan, while the big names were across the border in India. New Zealand managed to draw the T20I series 2-2 but lost the ODI rubber by a 4-1 margin.
The two teams were recently involved in a T20I series in New Zealand, where the Blackcaps emerged victorious by a 4-1 margin. The series marked Shaheen Afridi's maiden venture as Pakistan's T20I skipper.
The IPL schedule for the first couple of weeks was released recently by the organizers. The rest of the fixture list will be unveiled once the Indian government releases the dates for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Pakistan have T20 matches lined up leading up to the 2024 T20 World Cup
Pakistani players, who are currently involved in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), are slated to play several bilateral T20I series as the rest of the world is involved in the IPL. Their major assignment, apart from the series against New Zealand, comes in the form of a four-match T20I series against defending T20 champions England in May.
Following their recent debacle at the 2023 ODI World Cup, England will be paying a lot more attention to their preparation for the T20 World Cup. As a result, the latter stages of the IPL may not feature English players as they aim to make the most of the series against Pakistan and travel early to the West Indies to get a head start.
Pakistan's T20I series against New Zealand, on the other hand, is scheduled to take place from April 14 to April 28, with Lahore and Rawalpindi sharing the hosting duties.