Australian cricket players may leave BBL for privately owned New Zealand T20 league

They did this by gaining the agreement of each of the six provincial associations to proceed with plans for NZ20, a six-team franchise league that would be privately owned and licensed by NZC, similar to the Caribbean Premier League.

Only after involving all states did NZ20 approach NZC, and NZC responded by stating that the consortium’s plans would be considered alongside other scenarios, including BBL expansion.

An independent report by Deloitte is due to be delivered to the NZC later this month, but regardless of the report’s recommendation, the launch of NZ20 is considered the most likely outcome.

According to two sources with knowledge of confidential talks, Greenberg and Baird told NZC they wanted New Zealand to be part of the BBL but would also be happy to look elsewhere, including Singapore, for expansion options if necessary.

Mills and Weenink declined to comment. Cricket Australia has been contacted for comment.

While the NZ20 will primarily be made up of New Zealand’s best players, Australian players are also watching with interest to see what salaries can be offered, especially at the top level. The Australian Cricketers’ Association is campaigning for higher payments to players such as Pat Cummins and Travis Head. Recent overseas offers.

NZ20 will replace Super Smash, the current T20 tournament in New Zealand, which has suffered from availability issues during the southern season as top players leave for the BBL and elsewhere. New Zealand Cricket said in a statement to this imprint that the board was still looking at all options.

Meanwhile, the NZC board wrote to the International Cricket Council late last year to reassure the game’s global boss Jay Shah that any new T20 league would not be an “unruly” competition. “The players have not taken responsibility for cricket in New Zealand. The World Cricketers’ Association is ‘not coming for us’. A hostile takeover is out of the question,” said the letter, signed by NZC president Diana Puketapu-Lyndon, NZC board ICC representative Roger Twose and the presidents of the six major associations.

Weenink was a notable person among those who signed the letter. He was sent on leave for most of the summer before leaving New Zealand on 30 January.

State unions and players are adamant that the NZ20 league structure is the only proposal they would approve of.

There are concerns among these groups that the inclusion of a single team in the BBL would relegate New Zealand to satellite status, as is the case with teams in the NRL, NBL and A League.

They argue that for New Zealand cricket to stand on its own in the BBL, CA must approve the inclusion of four new teams. Alternatively, NZ20 could eventually become the “eastern conference” of a larger T20 league covering both countries.

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The counter-argument is that New Zealand’s small population and broadcast market cannot support a league on its own and that it would be better to marry the BBL with one club initially and perhaps additional teams over time.

Current Australia team assistant coach Dan Vettori, former Melbourne Stars coach Stephen Fleming and England head coach McCullum are among the former New Zealand stars linked with NZ20 as consultants.

Speaking on local radio during the New Zealand Open, Fleming said: “Given that there is a short period of time to get it in place – if it is decided that privatization of T20 here is a good way to go – then we have to be very careful about the time it takes to set that up.”

“So the clock is clearly ticking.”