Rising

New Indian Premier League recruits Kyle Mills and Ross Taylor remain in the dark over their New Zealand obligations for next month's tour of England.

Mills and Taylor were two of the seven Black Caps on offer to earn deals in the second IPL auction and agreed terms with Mohali and Bangalore.

Team-mates Peter Fulton, Jamie How, Jeetan Patel, Chris Martin and James Franklin were also in the auction, but did not secure contracts.

Mills said the players were over a week away from agreeing terms with New Zealand Cricket with the first Test set to begin at Lord's on May 15.

Black Caps captain Daniel Vettori, deputy Brendon McCullum, all-rounder Jacob Oram, Taylor and Mills are all likely to be included in the Test squad while all five are involved in the IPL.

"It will come out in the wash in the next week or so. We are on the road 11 months of the year, chopping from Twenty20 to Test to one-day cricket and we have had to adapt quickly," Mills told Radio Sport.

The seamer, whose four over spell of four wickets for seven runs proved decisive in the first Test defeat of England, is now looking forward to joining the world's elite in the IPL.

"It's going to be interesting for me to see how Brett Lee would bowl to Ricky Ponting or how Sangakkara would face Muttiah Muralitharan, so it would be an exciting time," he added.

"I think guys involved in this competition will further enhance their abilities by playing alongside such great players."

__________________
please join the forum and post