WELLINGTON, March 15: New Zealand Cricket (NZC) will decide next week on whether to permit the five players who have joined the Indian Premier League (IPL) to miss the beginning of the England tour.

Daniel Vettori, Kyle Mills, Brendon McCullum, Jacob Oram and Ross Taylor will be playing in the IPL starting on April 18.

However, New Zealand’s tour of England kicks off with a warm-up against the MCC on April 27, followed by two three-dayers in early May before the first Test beginning on May 15.

“We really canvassed not only individuals but the team’s collective view in terms of what they think is the right think to do in this situation," Justin Vaughan, the NZC Chief Executive said.

The players feel missing a few practice matches won’t matter as New Zealand seldom play warm-ups on their tours. New Zealand squad for the England tour is expected to be named on April 10.—Agencies