There could be a few bleary-eyed Blackcaps taking to the pitch for the second one-day international clash against Bangladesh in Nelson on Wednesday.
The Indian Premier League auction takes place overnight (NZ time), where several members of the squad will be up for grabs for the 2024 edition of the world's most lucrative Twenty20 competition.
But understandably, the player whose prospects are garnering the most interest is Rachin Ravindra, who could be line for a monster payday after his breakthrough World Cup campaign in India.
The Wellingtonian cashed in on his elevation up the batting order by finishing the tournament as the fourth highest run scorer, slamming three centuries to emphatically stamp his mark on the cricketing world as one its brightest young stars.
Alongside teammate Daryl Mitchell - who was just one place behind him in the run-scoring department in India - Ravindra is widely expected to have a host of franchises bidding for his services in what promises to be a financially fruitful debut season for the precocious 24-year-old.
Blackcaps batter Mark Chapman is another whose name will be in the hat on Tuesday night and the Aucklander insists most of his focus will be on his teammate.
"Obviously it's a big auction tonight and it's no surprise Rachin is one of those players who's being talked about given his performances at the World Cup," said Chapman.
"I guess you always have hopes that you might get picked up but to be honest, I'm probably more interested in watching what happens with Rachin."
There are 14 total NZ players who will be on the docket in Dubai, including the likes of Tim Southee, Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, and Kyle Jamieson, who were all released by their respective franchises last month to re-enter the bidding pool.
Blackcaps captain Kane Williamson is one of five NZ players who have been retained, returning to the Gujarat Lions for next season. He suffered a serious knee injury in his Lions debut in last season's opening match and played no further part in their campaign.
Also returning to their teams from last season are Mitchell Santner and Devon Conway (Chennai Super Kings), Trent Boult (Rajasthan Royals), and Glenn Phillips (Sunrisers Hyderabad).
A maximum of 77 total slots are available across all 10 franchises, of which 30 are designated for overseas players.
Ravindra's Indian heritage also adds significant appeal to potential bidders, with teams able to commercially leverage the burgeoning stardom that was increasingly apparent throughout the World Cup.
The 24-year-old is the son of South Indian immigrants, with his name a tribute to Indian cricketing deities Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar.
While he's broken through in the 50-over format, Ravindra is yet to prove himself at T20 international level. With an average of just 13.18, he was overlooked for selection for the Blackcap's T20 squad to play Bangladesh.
But that record will count for very little come auction time, where recency bias is always a strong factor.
Exhibit A: England allrounder Sam Curran, who turned his tournament winning efforts at the T20 World Cup in Australia last year into an NZ$3.57 million windfall with Punjab Kings.
Fast bowler Adam Milne is another Blackcap who'll have his fingers crossed on Tuesday night.
With experience at three different IPL franchises dating back to 2016, Milne is a veteran of the competition.
Having played alongside him at both domestic and international levels, Milne is confident Ravindra has both the skills and the temperament to take his soaring star to the next level in India.
"Rachin has shown what a class player he is at the World Cup so I'll be excited to see him go over there," said Milne.
"The IPL can be crazy at times but it's also a great thing for players in NZ to get that opportunity to be around some of the best players in the world and learn from them.
"He's already a bit of a star over there. I've seen him behind the scenes at Wellington and he works incredibly hard at his game so I've got no doubt that he can succeed to be one of New Zealand's greatest."
After their win in Sunday's rain-affected opener, the Blackcaps will have a chance to wrap up the ODI series with a game to spare tomorrow.
Coming off a rather gloomy and chilly affair in Dunedin, they're just happy to see a bit of sun and a pitch that typically offers plenty for the batters.
"It's been nice and warm. Really friendly welcome from all of the locals so we're pretty excited to be playing some white ball cricket here," said Chapman.
"The pitch looks a good wicket. Tend to be high scoring games down here so we'll see what tomorrow brings."
Join Newshub at 11am Wednesday for live updates of the second Blackcaps v Bangladesh one-day international.
