Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson will not be available for New Zealand's upcoming five-match T20I series against Pakistan, which is set to begin on April 18, due to their commitments in the IPL 2024. With nine players unavailable due to the IPL schedule, the Blackcaps announced their squad for the tour on Wednesday. New Zealand will use the Pakistan series to prepare for the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA later this year.
The squad includes Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Finn Allen, and Jimmy Neesham. However, senior players Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, and Mitchell Santner will not be joining the tour due to their IPL commitments.
It is worth noting that Conway, who is recovering from surgery, is expected to join the CSK squad later in the season.
In his first IPL season, Rachin impressed with his brilliant performances as an opener for CSK. The young star has scored 85 runs in three matches at a blistering strike rate of 180.85, which dipped just below 200 after CSK's loss to DC.
Daryl Mitchell, who played in the starting XI for CSK's first three games, also had a successful start to his career there. Boult is leading the pace bowling attack for Rajasthan Royals and was named Player of the Match in their most recent victory over MI. Santner, Phillips, Williamson, Ferguson, and others have not played in any IPL 2024 matches yet.