New Zealand Cricket Pulls Out of Major League Cricket Investment Deal

The Pullback: New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has officially stepped back from its agreement to invest in and operate a team in Major League Cricket (MLC) ahead of the 2027 season.

Original Deal: Announced in April 2025, NZC had previously partnered with True North Sports (TNS) Ventures—led by MLC co-founders Sameer Mehta and Vijay Srinivasan—to provide high-performance and operational support for one of the league's two new expansion teams.

Reason for the Reversal

Resource Prioritization: NZC CEO Geoff Allott explained that after further evaluation, the timing is not right to take on the venture. The board decided to refocus its resources and capital inward on strengthening domestic cricket and refining high-performance environments within New Zealand.

Domestic Adjustments: This shift in focus has also impacted local scheduling, notably pushing back the launch of the men's and women's T20 league, NZ20 (which replaces the Super Smash), to December 2027.

The decision to roll back the arrangement arose from NZC's need to focus resources on opportunities in New Zealand before expanding overseas. The launch of the much-anticipated NZ20, the men's and women's T20 league to replace the existing Super Smash, was also pushed back to December 2027 instead of the original plan of January 2027.

Future Relations & Player Context

Mutual Agreement: NZC and TNS reached a mutual agreement to part ways on the venture, with NZC expressing goodwill toward the future of the MLC and keeping lines of communication open.

Player Involvement: While NZC has pulled out of the corporate investment side, several high-profile Kiwi players—such as Rachin Ravindra, Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Tim Seifert, and Lockie Ferguson—have established themselves as regular participants in the MLC franchise ecosystem.