Cricket: Twenty20 franchises mooted

The prospect of New Zealand Cricket's provinces privatising the Twenty20 arms of their businesses looks set to return to the national agenda over the next month.

No such changes will be made for this season but it cannot be ruled out as a future option, looking at the franchise models employed by countries like India and Australia.

The key question will be how best to manage a situation that could bring extra revenue into the major associations in addition to regular sponsorship and ticket sales.

NZC have ventilation company HRV as their Twenty20 competition sponsor until the end of this season.

While it is preferable to have a main competition sponsor, the provinces will also seek a degree of autonomy under any new system.

NZC is unlikely to go down the Indian Premier League route where teams are 100 per cent privately owned. The Australian Big Bash League format is a probable compromise.

Each state association holds majority ownership in their teams but vetted shareholders can invest up to 49 per cent in the eight franchises. In May, Sydney's Daily Telegraph suggested that policy could earn Cricket Australia over A$150 million ($187 million).

Another option is to tag sponsors names to the province but this rarely works from a practical standpoint. For example: while the Vodafone Warriors are promoted in media releases, such a sponsorship link does not gain traction in the media or everyday conversation. Getting exposure from the likes of hoardings and shirt logos is easier.

New Zealand's major associations will want enough independence to forge their own commercial destiny. However, unlike America's National Football League, Major League Baseball or National Basketball Association which survive within one country, they do not want to dilute the pinnacle of the sport which are internationals.

Letting sponsors or private investors take majority ownership could result in franchise needs placed before country.

Super Rugby's solution where the New Zealand Rugby Union devolves a certain amount of power but still controls the bigger picture from afar is a more likely result.