Cricket fans around New Zealand breathed a sigh of relief when the Black Caps stars who hold IPL contracts belatedly put pen to paper and signed their new national deals, after weeks of agonising over whether to forego their contracts with NZC in favour of their more lucrative IPL deals.

The point of contention for the players revolved around the scheduling of next year's series with Australia, which overlaps with the first few weeks of the Indian Premier League. Six players - Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder, Kyle Mills and Jacob Oram - where said to be mulling over the possibility of missing the Trans-Tasman clash but all have decided to pledge their allegiance to the national outfit.

The decision was a tough one Brendon McCullum tells Cricket365, and not one that was taken lightly.

"First and foremost it was every individual making their own decision based on their own circumstances," said McCullum who earns close to US$1 million for a full season in the IPL.

"The lure of going to play in the IPL was pretty strong. I guess the financial benefits and the immediate financial security that it offers are highly lucrative, but also that it's an amazing tournament to be involved in.

"I'm 27 years of age and there is still a lot that I want to achieve in international cricket first. After speaking to many people I decided I still wanted to score runs and take catches for New Zealand."

McCullum endured a torrid time during the 2009 edition of the tournament at the head of a floundering Kolkata Knight Riders outfit.

Having filled in for Daniel Vettori as skipper for the national team, McCullum is no stranger to the pressures of captaincy, but admits that leading an IPL side can be tough.

"I guess I was captain of the whole campaign rather than just substituting for Dan on occasion. But you just try to play everything with a straight bat and not give too much away.

"It was a disappointing time for us, because of our performances there was a bit of extra pressure, but as a captain that's what you have to deal with."

McCullum may not have to deal with such pressures next year, with his position as captain of the franchise in the balance following the team's poor showing and the axing of coach John Buchanan.

The situation is yet to be resolved as is the question of who will fill Buchanan's boots. Former New Zealand coach John Wright has recently been linked to the job, but McCullum feels such talk is mere speculation.

"It's just sensationalism," he insists. "Someone may have mentioned that John Wright was interested or that they were interested in him and now it's just got out of control."

The Knight Riders may not have qualified for October's Champions League, but the Kiwi is still in line to participate with his home state, Otago, or the New South Wales Blues.

McCullum came under fire when he signed for the Australian outfit, playing only in the final of the state Twenty20 competition, with Andrew Symonds calling him a "lump of shit".

"I guess it's what can happen when you try and do something that hasn't really been done before," laughs McCullum as he talks of the backlash he received.

"People were a bit upset at first but since then a number of people have signed (for other clubs).

"It's something that all national boards can potentially look at, to treat Twenty20 completely differently, perhaps open it up a bit more to players from around the world and still preserve one-day and first-class setups, but hype up your twnety20 leagues by including international players."

Next on the radar for McCullum and his teammates is a trip to Sri Lanka, and the Black Caps vice-captain points to the need to get runs on the board as a key area in their pursuit of victory.

"We've got to get runs on the board so that we can allow our bowlers to be patient and not always have to bowl like we're coming from behind," he explains.

With slow, spin-friendly pitches the order of the day in Sri Lanka, McCullum is well aware of the trouble the Black Caps face.

"It's pretty difficult; it's certainly not something we're used to being brought up in New Zealand!" he chuckles.

"But somehow if we want to compete away from home we're going to have to find a way to get round it. It's a huge challenge but I'm looking forward to it and I know all the other guys are too."

Julia Harris