WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand Cricket will invest in a new franchise that will join Major League Cricket in the United States from 2027.
Chief executive Scott Weenink on Thursday said NZC will partner with U.S.-based True North Sports Ventures to form the new team, which could be based in Toronto or Atlanta.
The partnership is the first of its kind between a full member nation of the International Cricket Council and a franchise in a leading professional cricket league, Weenink said.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India governs the lucrative Indian Premier League, which features players from all over the world, including stars from New Zealand, but the franchises are all independently owned.
New Zealand Cricket will provide financial equity and high-performance and operational support to the new MLC team, including coaching, management and support staff.
“It’s a reasonable investment but it’s fair to say we are still minority investors,” Weenink said. “Hopefully, we will also see a growth in capital but also dividends which will start to be spun out of that equity investment.
“We still see India as untapped from a New Zealand Cricket perspective so we are putting a significant amount of energy and resource into growing New Zealand Cricket and New Zealand cricket players’ brand in India and we see the same in the US. We see America as such a huge market from a sports perspective.”
Weenink said NZC sees cricket “really taking off” in the United States on the back of the T20 Cricket World Cup, which the U.S. co-hosted last year, as well as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“So we really want to tap into and jump on board the huge growth opportunity that Major League Cricket offers,” he said. “As franchise cricket grows globally, NZC needs to adapt to seize strategic opportunities that ensure the sustainability of our cricket network.
“This helps diversify our revenue streams, expands our global brand and fan base and creates new talent development and retention pathways for both our players and coaches.”
Several leading New Zealand players already have played in MLC and NZC hopes an association with the U.S. tournament will provide a new pathway for young and senior players.
The 2025 MLC season will be played within the space of a month in June with salaries of up to $200,000 being paid to top players. The short duration of the competition makes it particularly lucrative and attractive.
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Steve Mcmorran, The Associated Press
