Though the dates of this year’s IPL have not yet been released, it is expected that the tournament will run from April through to early June. England’s series against New Zealand is scheduled to start at Lord’s on June 2 with the second Test at Edgbaston set to begin on June 10. Punters can find the latest bonus here. The series does not form part of the World Test Championship.

The report quotes an email sent out from the IPL to its franchises that reads: “”In the event of ECB Selectors wishing to select a player for the 1st Test v New Zealand whose franchise has made it through to the knockout stages of the Tournament, but who is not featuring in the starting XI, the relevant franchise is requested to release such player early so that they can participate in the Test Match.”

Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran and Jonny Bairstow are the six England active Test cricketers with deals for this season’s IPL. Of the 17 English players registered for tomorrow’s IPL auction, Mark Wood and Moeen Ali are the only two to have played Test cricket in the last year.

There have been no previous instances of an ECB centrally contracted Test cricketer missing a Test match due to IPL commitments. In recent months, England have shown a more flexible attitude to squad rotation, using 19 players in the first four Tests of their ongoing tour of Asia with the likes of Stokes, Buttler, Bairstow, Wood, Moeen and Archer all being rested at various points of the Test tour.

This year’s T20 World Cup is set to be held in India from October.