SA Test players led by Rabada likely to choose IPL over Bangladesh Tests

Rabada and Lungi Ngidi have chosen to play the IPL over the home Test series against Bangladesh beginning March 31. The series starts with three ODIs scheduled on March 18, 20 and 23 respectively where the star players will be available.

Read AlsoSouth Africa's IPL players picked for Bangladesh one-day games

Eight South African cricketers with Indian Premier League (IPL) contracts will play in a one-day series against Bangladesh before leaving for India. Cricket South Africa on Tuesday named a 16-man squad for the three-match series, which is part of the World Cup Super League.

Earlier, the majority of the South Africa players were expected to miss the first week of IPL starting March 26 due to national commitments. ESPN Cricinfo reported that Rabada, Ngidi and Marco Jansen will miss the Tests to be available for the IPL from the beginning. Jansen, who impressed in the home series against India, was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad at the IPL auction while Punjab secured the services of Rabada. Ngidi will represent Delhi Capitals. Question marks remain over the availability of Anrich Nortje due to fitness issues. He was one of the retained players for Delhi Capitals. Test skipper Dean Elgar had called it a "litmus test of loyalty" for the IPL bound players. However it is understood that BCCI top brass must have reached out to CSA counter-parts for a middle of the road solution.