This time, New Zealand is going to enter the era of privately owned T20 league. The new tournament NZ-T20 is likely to start in January 2027 with six franchises. If approved, the league will be run on the same lines as the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Where New Zealand Cricket (NZC) will have approval. But will be managed by an independent management company.
Although this plan has not yet been officially approved by New Zealand Cricket and NZC. However, if approved, the NZ-T20 will replace the existing six-team tournament Super Smash. which has been running local associations covering Auckland, Northern Districts, Wellington, Central Districts, Canterbury and Otago for two decades. Like Super Smash being managed by NZC, NZ-T20 will be based on individually owned franchises.
According to Don McKinnon, chairman of the NZ-20 founding committee, the idea for the league came from former New Zealand star cricketers—including Stephen Fleming. They discussed with the New Zealand Players' Association (NZPA) whether the time was right for a franchise-based league. A lawyer by profession, McKinnon currently heads the country's Sports Integrity Commission and is a former director of the NZC board. About three months ago he was tasked with verifying the feasibility of the proposal.
The NZ200 is a realistic project and now is the ideal time to start, McKinnon told ESPNcricinfo.
