(MENAFN- AsiaNet News)

NZ20 to Replace Super Smash

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) is set to launch its very own NZ20 cricket tournament, with six franchise teams competing for the ultimate title, starting in January 2027. The league's operational model would be similar to the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), with NZ20 obtaining a license from NZC but operating independently.

The tournament is yet to recieve NZC approval, but if they do, the NZ20 league will replace the Super Smash, the current six-team competition. Super Smash is two decades old. It is played by the local cricket associations in New Zealand: Auckland, Northern Districts, Wellington, Central Districts, Canterbury, and Otago. NZC willl manage it, whereas NZ20 will have teams with private owners.

Spotlight on Amelia Kerr

New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr has played 84 ODIs and 88 T20Is. The star cricketer has amased 2304 runs in ODIs and 1453 runs in T20Is. With the ball, she has scalped 106 wickets in ODIs and 95 in T20Is.

Kerr was bought by Mumbai Indians (MI) for Rs 3 crore at Women's Premier League 2026 auction on Thursday. Kerr became the second-most expensive player this auction. The 25-year-old was part of MI's title-winning runs in the 2023 and 2025 WPL editions In Super Smash, Kerr has played 51 matches, scoring 1814 runs. During the 2024-25 edition of Super Smash, the New Zealand star hammered 441 runs in 12 innings. She had a superb average of 63.

The Vision Behind NZ20

Don MacKinnon, who is heading the establishment committee, talked about the NZ20 project. Don added that plans for the league have emerged from several former players.

A 'Boutique' Fan-Centric Competition

"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," MacKinnon said.

"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.

"We are looking at something very boutique, very New Zealand centric, a unique experience for players who come here, as I said, small grounds, a great lifestyle, something that we think players would love to be involved in," he added.

Private Investment to Drive Innovation

Don added that the Super Smash was not really working with the fans. "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.

Roadmap to 2027: Approval and Timelines

NZC approval will have to come swiftly if the NZ20 league is to begin in January 2027. Mackinnon added that his committee wanted to work with NZC, and the NZ20 committee comprises two members from NZC.

"We have been in constant discussions with the New Zealand Cricket Board over the last two to three months. They have been excellent to deal with. They have been very clear to us that while they're excited by this project, they have other options they're looking at including quite clearly whether they wish to consider trying to get a team into the Big Bash," Don said.

"At the same time we are proceeding on the basis that we believe we will get a license and we are continuing to talk to investors and making progress in that regard. We would love to be in a position by the end of January [2026] to have some real certainty about whether we can make the competition start in January 2027 and that's our timeframe," he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

MENAFN27112025007385015968ID1110407736