England players might face tough choice as WPL clashes with NZ T20Is

New Delhi [India] : England Women’s Cricket Team might have to choose between country or franchise cricket, as the knockout rounds of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) clash with the five-match T20I series against New Zealand.

According to ESPNcricinfo, the England Cricket Board (ECB) told their players taking part in the WPL won’t be taken into consideration for the team selection for the first three T20Is in New Zealand. ECB are likely to announce the squad in the upcoming week.

Earlier, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that the action-packed WPL 2024 is all set to begin on February 23 with last year’s champions Mumbai Indians taking on Delhi Capitals in the opener at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

The summit clash will take place on March 17 in New Delhi while the eliminator will be played on March 15. The upcoming edition will be hosted by Delhi and Bengaluru. All matches will start at 7:30 pm.

Meanwhile, the English cricketer Lauren Bell parted ways with the UP Warriorz ahead of the WPL 2024.

Following this, the UP-based franchise announced Chamari Athapaththu as her replacement in the squad.
In 2023, Bell finished with 470 runs with a strike rate of 130.91. Her 15 sixes in the year is also a personal high in Women’s T20Is.

The five-match T20I series between England and New Zealand will kick off on March 19 and will go on till March 29.

Seven English players Alice Capsey, Issy Wong, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Kate Cross, Heather Knight, Sophie Ecclestone and Danni Wyatt are due to take part in the WPL 2024.