New Zealand’s Santner rejects BBL offer to remain available for India-Australia series

Mitchell Santner has turned down a lucrative Big Bash League (BBL) offer to remain available for New Zealand’s upcoming internationals against India and Australia. Santner was approached by the Adelaide Strikers with an offer to join the franchise, but the 34-year-old ultimately decided New Zealand’s international commitments were more important at this stage of his career.

The left-arm spinner is particularly keen on India’s tour of New Zealand later this year, which will be followed by New Zealand’s four-Test tour to Australia. “When you look ahead to the summer we’ve got, with India here for the white ball and the Tests and Australia away – there aren’t many bigger ones – it’s a pretty exciting time. I’d love to still be a part of it,” Santner told the *New Zealand Herald*.

Santner admitted that the BBL proposal was financially attractive and he was serious enough to consider it before making a decision. “The offer was good, I’m not going to lie. They knew it had to be a good offer for me to entertain her by doing the contract and what would come up,” he said.

While Santner admitted he may not feature in every Test, he believes he can still make a significant contribution to the national side. “I thought about it, but going back to what we have in front of us, even if I don’t play every game of Test cricket, I still feel there is a role for me,” he added.

New Zealand will host India for the entire series from October 22 to December 1, with the itinerary comprising two Tests. The Black Caps then head to Australia for a four-match Test series.

Santner’s desire to continue as New Zealand’s white-ball captain also influenced Santner’s decision. He made it clear that giving up a leadership role isn’t something he’s willing to do in exchange for a franchise opportunity.

“I don’t want to give up the captaincy. If it was part of the deal, it was a no-brainer for me. There were chats that it could work. But for me, sitting without a central contract and trying to be captain, I don’t know if it would fit at this stage,” Santner said.

New Zealand’s central contracts come with a requirement for players to be available for Super Smash in January. The domestic competition currently clashes with both the BBL and South Africa’s SA20, making it difficult for centrally contracted players to engage in overseas leagues.

A number of New Zealand players therefore opted for casual contracts. This arrangement gives them more freedom to play in overseas franchise competitions while remaining available for international duty.

Santner said he had no problem with teammates taking that route, especially as the prize money on offer in franchise cricket can be substantially higher than that available through international cricket.

“There’s no judgment when people do opportunity deals. We’re not going to keep up with the money for some of these other opportunities,” he said.

But for Santner, the prospect of being part of an important period for New Zealand cricket outweighed the financial appeal of the BBL.

“But for me, I still want to be a part of New Zealand cricket and what we’re up to,” he said.

– The end

Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

10 Sep 2026 12:31 IST