Director of Cricket Mick Newell has confirmed that skipper Stephen Fleming is expected to miss the first five weeks of the season with his World Cup commitments to New Zealand.
The 33-year-old is currently leading the Black Caps in their Caribbean campaign, and will not arrive in Nottingham until the middle of May.
Newell said: "I expect his first appearance this summer will be for the Championship match against Essex at Trent Bridge, starting on May 23.
"We were always conscious that the World Cup would run over into the start of the domestic season and that Fleming would be missing for that period.
"But I'm confident that we have more than enough depth in the batting department to cope without him."
Newell added that he would make a decision on who will captain the side in Fleming's absence shortly.