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EXCLUSIVE: NZ Cricket shuts down Major League venture
Alex Chapman •  October 21st, 2026 7:00 am
Geoff Allott at NZC | Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport
New Zealand Cricket's controversial American expedition has run aground, as they now look to prioritise their own backyard.Â
NZC announced last April that it had agreed to terms with American company True North Sports Ventures (TNS) to launch a new Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise, with the intention to debut in 2027.Â
Toronto, Atlanta and Las Vegas were thought to be among those being considered as home bases for the new side, with the possibility of another team in 2031.Â
However, Sport Nation can reveal one of CEO Geoff Allott's early moves when he took over in July was to end the partnership with TNS, to allow NZC to focus on opportunities in Aotearoa.Â
Finn Allen is one of several New Zealand players to have featured in Major League Cricket | Photo: Shaun Roy/Sportzpics
It’s understood NZC, who didn’t invest any capital into the partnership, is prioritising greater investment into the local High Performance programme, before exploring other areas.Â
It’s been indicated the national body may still consider a similar partnership in the future.Â
NZC initially claimed at the time that it would be a “first of its kind agreement”, with the national governing body to have direct investment as well as “high performance and operational support”. That was to include “coaching, management and support staff, as well as integrating the franchise into NZC’s domestic high-performance system.” Â
Some were encouraged by the move, with players sharing on social media that it was a great step forward and celebrating that it will mean seeing more New Zealand players getting overseas opportunities and gain greater exposure in other competitions.Â
But as one player, who Sport Nation spoke to at the time on the condition of anonymity asked, “why not invest in the domestic game directly?”
Other players Sport Nation heard from pondered a similar question.
As one suggested; “it’d be good if they put that money into us domestic players and the game here", while another asked; “why an overseas league instead of us? Will there be a trickle down effect? Hmm, unsure.”Â
The decision to dismiss the MLC venture to the boundary will appease several other leading stakeholders who have previously expressed to Sport Nation unease and uncertainty over the financial state of the game in New Zealand.
Tom Latham's view of franchise cricket | Cricket Nation
Frustrations have also been aimed at the leadership of the Board.Â
NZC Board Chair Diana Puketapu-Lyndon earlier this month told Sport Nation that “revenues fluctuate” depending on the schedule and that the upcoming tour by India “is going to change that situation.”Â
“It doesn't mean that we aren't already putting in things in place to look at how we spend.” she added.Â
“And making sure that we get things right. But I am comfortable that we've got a good position in terms of our reserves. We've got a good forward-looking forecast and I'm very comfortable in that.”Â
Many stakeholders that Sport Nation has spoken to emphasised that the work done by, and efforts made by Allott during the three and a half months since he took over have been "refreshing" and "needed". Â
It's understood Allott has spent time with various parties, including Major Associations, District Associations, players and clubs, in an effort to ease stakeholder tension.Â
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