Snubbed from IPL, Pakistan to play New Zealand in bilateral series during IPL 2025

New Zealand Cricket Board has announced the 2024/25 home season schedule. The Blackcaps will play Pakistan in a bilateral series consisting of a five-match T20I series and a three-match ODI series in March-April, potentially coinciding with the Indian Premier League 2025 season.

Earlier in the year during IPL 2024, New Zealand traveled to Pakistan to play a five-match T20I series however, first-team players who had IPL contracts opted to play for their franchises which meant that New Zealand fielded their second-string team in Pakistan.

Additionally, New Zealand will play a three-match Test series against England in November-December as part of their World Test Championship cycle (WTC). Sri Lanka will tour for a white-ball series comprising a three-match T20I series and an ODI series.

Tom Latham on contracts

Star names like Kane Williamson and Lockie Ferguson rejected central contracts from New Zealand earlier this year to have the flexibility to play franchise cricket around the world. “Pursuing an overseas opportunity during the New Zealand summer means I’m unable to accept a central contract offer,” Williamson reasoned.

“(I) Think at the moment, where cricket’s going in New Zealand is slightly different. It’s certainly not a black-and-white situation, and certainly changing with all these leagues popping up. Guess everyone is in a slightly different boat in what their future may look like depending on their age or stage they are in life,” New Zealand player Tom Latham was quoted as saying as ESPNcricinfo.

“We’ve got a lot of cricket in the summer (and) got an ICC pinnacle event (the Champions Trophy) which is exciting to look forward to. So whether it be with different personnel, whether it be with the guys we are used to having, whenever we can have them I’m sure that will be great, but think we’ve certainly got to be pretty fluid with what things look like in the future,” he added.

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