NEW ZEALAND CRICKET (NZC) is preparing to launch its own NZ20 cricket league, featuring six privately owned franchise teams, with the inaugural season targeted for January 2027. The tournament is expected to follow an operational model similar to the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), functioning independently under a licence from NZC.
The proposal has not yet been approved by NZC. If sanctioned, the NZ20 would replace Super Smash, New Zealand’s existing six-team T20 competition, played by the country’s major cricket associations: Auckland, Northern Districts, Wellington, Central Districts, Canterbury, and Otago. While Super Smash is administered by NZC and has been running for nearly two decades, NZ20 would introduce privately owned teams and a new commercial structure.
Don MacKinnon, who is leading the establishment committee, said the idea for NZ20 was shaped by input from several former players.
“The concept is a pretty simple one really. It’s to see if New Zealand cricket could provide us with a clean window, which in our mind is absolutely essential for a very short privately owned competition, ideally in the peak of summer in New Zealand. So ideally for a men’s competition in the month of January at potentially a lot of our holiday venues, some of our beautiful grassbanks ground and a short fan-centric, fun type competition, but one played by the very best players in New Zealand and hopefully some internationals,” MacKinnon told ESPNcricinfo.
MacKinnon also acknowledged that Super Smash has struggled to capture fan interest. “What’s different about it? Well, it’s partly driven out of private investment and so you get the ability to be very innovative. You have the ability to have greater capital, to invest in better fan experience both at the ground but also whether you are watching on television or online. We also think that if we get this right, we will attract the very best New Zealand players back into our domestic competitions,” he said.
For the NZ20 to launch in January 2027, NZC’s approval will need to come soon. MacKinnon noted that the committee aims to work collaboratively with NZC, and that two NZC representatives are already part of the NZ20 working group.
