New Zealand quick Lockie Ferguson will skip the opening weeks of the 2026 IPL, choosing newborn-duty at home over an immediate flight to India. Punjab Kings have cleared the plan; they expect him only for the closing stretch of the tournament, fitness permitting, and New Zealand still hope to have him ready for a busy winter.
“It’s just had a wee son, trying to spend as much time as I can at home and help the wife out,” Ferguson said in Auckland on the eve of the third T20I against South Africa. “I’ll have a few weeks off after this, before sort of heading to the later stages of the IPL and away for the winter.”
Key points first
• Ferguson will remain in Auckland for several weeks after the South Africa series.
• Punjab Kings will lean on Ben Dwarshuis and local seamers to cover the early gap.
• The 33-year-old is still targeting the 2027 ODI World Cup and 2028 T20 World Cup.
Family first, cricket later
Ferguson’s paternity leave during last year’s T20 World Cup ran to only four days before he re-joined the squad for the Super Eights. Nine days after the final in Ahmedabad he was back in Hamilton, claiming 3 for 16 to square the South Africa series. A fuller break now, he feels, is overdue.
“Sometimes the hard part is selecting when to take a rest,” he admitted. “Picking this time, which I think is pretty fair, considering the wife was looking after the baby when I was in the World Cup.”
Punjab’s cover plan
Without their 150 kph spearhead, Punjab are likely to slide Australian left-armer Ben Dwarshuis into the starting XII. Bought for INR 4.4 crore, Dwarshuis arrives with 164 Big Bash wickets and an economy of 8.09 – solid numbers, if not quite Ferguson’s intimidation factor. The franchise can also call on Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Azmatullah Omarzai, Yash Thakur, Vyshak Vijaykumar and the all-round option of Marcus Stoinis. Depth is not the problem; replacing raw pace may be.
How does this affect New Zealand?
Ferguson is one of several Black Caps operating without a central contract, managing workloads tournament by tournament. He insists international ambitions remain intact.
“They thought this was my last game (laughs). No, I’m still very committed to play for New Zealand,” he said. “We obviously didn’t quite get it done in India, but at the same time a lot to be proud of from that tournament. Looking forward to the next two World Cups, there’s a great opportunity for our squad.”
New Zealand selectors will note the gap he leaves in Punjab’s early fixtures; fewer overs in April should translate into fresher legs for the Test and limited-overs tours pencilled in for mid-year. Long haul travel remains the wild card. Even a shortened IPL stint still means a fortnight of quarantine rules, acclimatisation and, crucially, the high-octane demands of death-overs bowling.
Risk-reward balance
Fast bowlers in their thirties juggle form, fitness and finance. The IPL contract pays well, but another stress fracture or side strain could jeopardise those 2027 and 2028 world-tournament dreams. New Zealand’s management are likely to give him leeway – as they did when Trent Boult stepped back from a central deal – provided he turns up fit when the silverware is on the line.
For now, Ferguson heads home, baby in one arm, bowling workload in the other, aiming to keep both safe. The Kings, and the Black Caps, will simply have to wait.
