He scalped five wickets in four matches before being ruled out of the IPL 2025 with a leg injury.
The Punjab Kings (PBKS) pacer Lockie Ferguson has stated that he is still eager to play for his nation, New Zealand, in the upcoming international matches. Notably, he was one of the star Black Caps players, including former captain Kane Williamson, Devon Conway, Trent Boult, Finn Allen, and Adam Milne, who had opted out of the recent central contracts of the governing board to feature in the growing T20 leagues worldwide.
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Except for some cricket powerhouse nations including India, Australia and England, other players from New Zealand, South Africa and the West Indies have recently been inclined towards franchise cricket, which tends to offer better earnings than their national cricket board. Notably, Ferguson will be seen participating in The Hundred 2025 for the Trent Rockets.
“I think some boards sort of handle it differently. But from my point of view, I’m still very committed to playing for New Zealand. And it’s just about finding the balance, however that might be. After this, I go home and have a bit of a stint back with New Zealand. We’ve got three series back there,” he said to Hindustan Times.
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However, the bowler has expressed his love for representing New Zealand in the international fixtures and the marquee events like the World Cups. The 34-year-old also stated that he will be back for the upcoming three back-to-back home series against Australia, England and the West Indies, respectively.
“It’s nice to play in your home conditions. It doesn’t happen as much as it used to, which is the good thing about playing a lot of franchise cricket. But playing World Cups is still very much the pinnacle. And although we enjoy playing franchise, I think getting back and playing for your nation is something special,” added the Kiwi player.
PBKS acquired the seamer for INR 2 crore, after his IPL 2024 stint with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), where he bagged nine wickets in seven matches at an economy of 10.63. But the bowler had an average season for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 runners-up PBKS, with only five wickets in four matches, before being ruled out of the cash-rich league with a leg injury.
Previously, the Desert Vipers captain also sustained a hamstring injury while playing in the International League T20 (ILT20), which restricted him from taking part in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Ferguson’s ordinary stats in the latest edition and the fitness concerns might propel the Punjab management to release him ahead of the IPL 2026 player auction.
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