New Zealand Cricket has taken a major step towards overhauling its domestic T20 structure, backing the proposed NZ20 franchise league as a replacement for the 21-year-old Super Smash, although resignations at board level have added another layer of intrigue to the development.
The NZC board has approved in principle the NZ20 league, a privately owned six-team franchise competition due to launch by January 2027. However, the governing body clarified that the decision remains subject to the completion of key commercial, administrative and structural agreements.
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“While not a final commitment, the decision allows the board to focus resources on negotiating a potential license and binding commercial arrangement with the NZ20 organisers,” NZC said in a statement.
Board chairwoman Diana Puketapu-Lyndon stressed that the proposal would need to evolve further, particularly in terms of ensuring that the domestic women’s T20 competition was fully integrated into the new structure.
“We want to work with NZ20 to ensure it embraces and supports the women’s domestic T20 competition and that it maintains a level of prominence and visibility consistent with the NZC’s strategic commitment to the women’s game,” she said.
She also stressed the importance of regional representation and clarity on ownership and equity in the new league, suggesting NZC wants to balance commercial ambitions with its core and structural priorities.
NZC also explored the possibility of aligning with both the men’s and women’s Australian Big Bash League competitions, but ultimately decided the time was right to modernize its own domestic setup instead of merging with the existing ecosystem.
“There has been extensive discussion about the merits of these proposals, but the board has concluded that now is the right time to revive our 21-year-old Super Smash competition,” Puketapu-Lyndon added.
NZ CRICKET DIRECTOR RESIGNS
However, the announcement was quickly followed by significant off-field developments, with director Dion Nash stepping down from his position with the New Zealand Cricket Board.
Nash stated that he could no longer align himself with the future direction of the organization and his role within it.
“Eventually I reached a point where I felt it was the right time to step back,” he said.
The timing of the resignation, which came just hours after the NZC backed the NZ20 proposal, is notable, although Nash did not explicitly link his decision to the move. In his statement, he only said that he could no longer align with the future direction of the organization, without further elaborating on the reasons for his departure.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
March 23, 2026 12:25 PM IST
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