Kane Williamson To Be Released Early For IPL 2023, Tom Latham to lead New Zealand in ODIs against Sri Lanka

The country’s cricket authority has given permission to four New Zealand players, including Kane Williamson and Tim Southee, to join their respective Indian Premier League (IPL) teams without taking part in the home white-ball series against Sri Lanka. Williamson (Gujarat Titans), Southee (Kolkata Knight Riders), Devon Conway (both Chennai Super Kings), and Mitchell Santner (both Chennai Super Kings) will be released after the second and final Test against Sri Lanka, which begins here on Friday, so that they can join their respective IPL franchises early.

Three more players, Finn Allen (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Lockie Ferguson (KKR), and Glenn Phillips (Sunrisers Hyderabad), will travel to India following the first ODI on March 25 in Auckland.

Following the completion of the existing two-match home Test series, New Zealand will face Sri Lanka in three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and three Twenty-Twenty-Innings (T20Is).

The IPL kicks off on March 31 in Ahmedabad with a match between the defending champions Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings.

With Williamson’s absence, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has selected Tom Latham as the series’ skipper. With the departure of the players to India, Mark Chapman, Ben Lister, and Henry Nicholls will join the squad ahead of the second ODI on March 28 at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

The return of Tom Blundell and Will Young to international white ball cricket is another element of the squad.

The two uncapped players in the ODI squad to face Sri Lanka are Canterbury’s Chad Bowes and Auckland Ace Ben Lister.

Lister made his T20I debut for New Zealand in India last month, while Bowes is making his first appearance for the Black Caps.

“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,” Black Caps coach Gary Stead said in the NZC website.

“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,” he said about NZ’s plans ahead of the ODI World Cup in India in October-November.

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