England players could miss New Zealand Tests due to IPL knockouts

England players are likely to miss the 2-match Test series against New Zealand due to the IPL 2021 knockout games. Their participation in the mega tournament has usually been complicated due to their international cricket schedule. The cricketers have always been unavailable for the league, but this time, the situation could be different.

According to reports, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Jos Buttler might miss the 2-match Test series against New Zealand. This is because the players can be in the knockout matches of the 14th edition of IPL. In the same way, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran and Jonny Bairstow can also be unavailable for international duty. Moeen Ali and Mark Wood could also be out of the series if they are picked in the upcoming auction.

No official confirmation on the availability of the South African players

England play against New Zealand from June 02 to 14. The IPL 2021 calendar has yet to be released, but it is expected to take place from April to the first week of June. Among the other overseas cricketers who will feature in this year's tournament, are players from Australia, West Indies, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Ireland. Proteas players' availability remains in doubt due to their ODI and T20 series against Pakistan in April. It is a similar case with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka players as well.

Meanwhile, the IPL 2021 Player Mini Auction list was announced last week. A total of 292 cricketers are going to go under the hammer in Chennai on February 18. The officials stated that 1,114 cricketers had initially registered for the auction. A total of 164 Indian players, 125 overseas players, and three Associate Nations players will participate in the auction. Royal Challengers Bangalore have the highest number of slots available (13), followed by Kings XI Punjab (9), Rajasthan Royals (8), and Kolkata Knight Riders (8). Sunrisers Hyderabad have only three slots available.

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