WELLINGTON: New Zealand is gearing up to enter the franchise-based T20 cricket market, with plans to launch the NZ20 league in January 2027, according to ESPNcricinfo. The proposed competition will feature six privately owned teams and will operate independently of New Zealand Cricket (NZC), following a structure similar to the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
The report states that the league has yet to receive official approval from NZC. However, if cleared, NZ20 is expected to replace the long-running Super Smash tournament, which has been administered by regional cricket associations for more than twenty years. The existing six-team Super Smash — featuring Auckland, Northern Districts, Wellington, Central Districts, Canterbury, and Otago — has increasingly become a developmental pathway, whereas NZ20 aims to introduce a more commercially driven and fan-oriented product.
Don MacKinnon, chair of the NZ20 Establishment Committee, told ESPNcricinfo that the league’s concept emerged through discussions with former New Zealand cricketers, including Stephen Fleming, as well as consultations with the New Zealand Players Association.
