IPL 2026: Rachin Ravindra leaves KKR camp to prepare for England Test tour

New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra has left Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) camp from the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026) to focus on the upcoming Test series in England. Ravindra will begin his preparations for red-ball cricket in New Zealand before the squad leaves for the UK. The three-match Test series will begin on June 4 at Lord’s, London.

KKR informed about Ravindra’s exit through a post on their social media handles. He was bought for a base price of INR 2 crore (approx. US$208,450) at the IPL 2026 mini-auction, but didn’t play a single game all season.

The 26-year-old is a regular in New Zealand’s Test XI and will be playing his first Test series in England on the upcoming tour. Ravindra has been in rich form in recent times in Tests, having scored 469 runs from seven innings in 2025 at an average of 117.25 with two hundreds and one fifty to his name.

He scored an unbeaten 165 against Zimbabwe in August 2025 and followed it up with a knock of 176 in Christchurch against West Indies in December 2025.

The upcoming England Test series will be New Zealand’s second assignment in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle 2025-27. The three Test matches will be played at Lord's (June 4-8), The Oval (June 17-21) and Nottingham (June 25-29).

Also Check: New Zealand's squad for England Test series

New Zealand to play a 4-day Test vs Ireland

Before England, New Zealand will also play a four-day Test against Ireland in Belfast starting May 27. The Kiwis are currently second on the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) points table with two wins and a draw, having a points percentage of 77.78.

On the other hand, England are ranked seventh with three wins from ten matches, having a points percentage of 31.67. The last time New Zealand toured England for a Test series was in 2022, where they were whitewashed 0-3.