Kent trio Darren Stevens, Simon Cook and Joe Denly all went unsold in the Indian Premier League auction.

They were among 34 Englishmen in a total of 400 cricketers who put their names forward for a place in one of the 10 franchises, but they were in good company as Ashes heroes Graeme Swann, James Anderson and Ian Bell all missed out, together with one-day specialists Ravi Bopara, Luke Wright and Michael Yardy.

It means all three will be available for the start of the new domestic season which starts with a four-day LV County Championship game against Essex at Chelmsford on April 8.

Stevens is in England’s provisional 30-man squad for the World Cup together with James Tredwell, which will be trimmed later this month. Denly is playing club cricket in Sydney, while Cook is set for a trip to Hong Kong, as part of his preparations for the new season.