Even after the NZ20 concept was approved in principle by New Zealand Cricket, the clock is ticking to make a Kiwi-hosted franchise competition a reality.
This morning, a week after the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) board met to discuss the way forward for T20 cricket in Aotearoa, NZ20 was giventhe green light over a Kiwi entry into Australia’s Big Bash League.
Having been in the works since mid-2025, NZ20 will see private investment into the Kiwi game, and the creation of new six-team franchise-based competitions for men and women to launch as early as January 2027.
But while the worst-case scenario would see the league pushed back to a December 2027 start for women and January 2028 for men, NZ20 establishment committee chair Don Mackinnon is confident the tournament will be launched in time.
“In truth, we’ve got a list of things to do that’s already a mile long,” he told the Herald. “That’s fine, we just need to get into it.
“[Time constraints] are tight, there’s no doubt about that. We’d hoped to be at this point two or three months ago.
“That may mean in January 2027 we don’t do all the things we might do in future years. For example, we might not be able to build in a player auction, this time.
“We may have to look at a more traditional draft system. That’s to be determined yet.
“There may be the odd compromise in year one. Also, too, New Zealand Cricket are working through their own scheduling challenges that need to be solved.
“But at the moment, we’re going to do everything we can to kick this off in January 2027.”
For a start, NZC and NZ20 must work to finalise the competition’s licence, before the process to find a league investor, team owners and critical player signings, in less than nine months.
Don Mackinnon. Photo / Photosport
In NZ20’s favour, though, is the fact its proposed model is not anything that hasn’t been seen elsewhere in the cricketing world.
The West Indies’ Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and South Africa’s SA20 have both been held up as templates for NZ20 to work towards, with both competitions successful competitively and financially.
There has, however, been changes to what NZ20 initially proposed to NZC for the board to back it over transtasman unification.
The biggest of those will almost certainly see NZC take an ownership stake in NZ20, in a move that Mackinnon says will be “highly likely”.
Regardless of how it looks, Mackinnon is resolute in his belief that NZ20 is the right move for the game, but asserts it will not be a disruptor to the game as fans know it.
“To emphasise one thing, we believe this competition sits perfectly within a perfect cricket model,” he said.
“We are still huge believers that test cricket, the Black Caps and White Ferns are the key brand for cricket in our country, so is the work of the Major Associations.
“What we’re looking to do is bring in a competition that really excites fans, especially young fans.
“I hope traditional cricket lovers are not nervous about this, we can deliver a competition that aligns perfectly with their love for the game and doesn’t interfere with that in any way at all.”
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.
