Don Mackinnon lifts lid with more details on proposed NZ20 T20 cricket league

Saturday, 22 November 2025

Details have been unveiled of how a new privately-backed franchise Twenty20 league would run in New Zealand, which its proponents say will be of massive benefit to the entire sport in this country.

New Zealand Cricket is in the midst of considering whether to give the green light to ‘NZ20’, a proposed four-week competition which would effectively super-charge the struggling Super Smash from next season.

The NZ20 proposal was billed as a “rebel T20 cricket competition” when its existence was revealed two weeks ago by Stuff.

But that description could not be further from the truth says the chair of the NZ20 establishment committee, leading sports lawyer Don Mackinnon, who has outlined the mechanics of the venture being worked on.

“To describe it as a rebel league just seems rather bizarre to me, because we can only do it with a licence from New Zealand Cricket,” he told The Post on Saturday.

The rest of the competition’s establishment committee, Mackinnon said, is made up of two members of the NZC board in Bill Birnie and Anna Campbell, two major association board chairs in David Howman and Brendon Gibson, a couple of advisers from finance and marketing backgrounds, respectively, along with NZ Cricket Players Association chair Ross Verry.

Stephen Fleming had also been linked as a backer of the competition, and Mackinnon confirmed the former Black Caps captain had indeed been consulted closely “for all his wisdom and expertise”.

There were also other high-profile former players who had been canvassed and were “extraordinarly supportive“ of the concept, though Mackinnon said he wouldn’t name them as he hadn’t personally spoken to them.

NZC will continue to explore other options, such as investing further in the current Super Smash setup, or sending teams into Australia’s Big Bash League, but it’s clearly this franchise model which looms as the most intriguing.

As it stands, New Zealand are the only major cricketing country without a T20 competition like it, with others around the world turning into hugely-attractive affairs for both players and fans, alike.

“The game at Super Smash level is clearly struggling to engage the public,” Mackinnon said. “It loses its broadcasting partner [TVNZ] next year, and I think everyone accepts the domestic game, particularly at T20 level, needs a shot in the arm.

“We think this is an amazing solution. If we can generate the level of investment that we think we can, we believe it can really transform the game in New Zealand at a domestic level.”

Mackinnon declined to talk specific figures but said they were confident with their forecasting for a competition that initially breaks even then makes good returns within a relatively short period.

He said there had been a lot of talks with potential investors, which were primarily overseas-based, but also locals, about why they might elect to put money into the competition.

“A lot of it isn’t around immediate financial return, a lot of it is around the huge value and respect they have for cricket in New Zealand,” Mackinnon said.

“The international game is awash with cash, and a lot of those people are really keen to own a team, or own a league, get involved with a reputable brand.”

The idea would be to run the competition in a four-week window in January (from 2027, following the Black Caps’ four-test series in Australia), with the hope that NZC would be able to work a contracting model so players could prioritise the local competition over the likes of ones around the same time in South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.

A women’s competition is also being committed to, to run in December prior to the men’s one, although Mackinnon said they would focus on getting the men’s one up and running to start with.

Games would be played at boutique venues such as in Queenstown and Mt Maunganui, there would be a pre-tournament auction, salary caps, import players, and potentially a ‘marquee player’ allowance.

“If that money is being spent by a private owner, then that is only good for the game,” Mackinnon said. “It’s not money coming out of the cricket system. The model we’d look to build means that a significant amount of the return that we generate actually goes directly to our major associations.”

Around the innovation, Mackinnon pointed to the example of the Black Clash being a highlight on the domestic cricket calendar due to it being so “fan-obsessive”.

“It’s exciting, it’s quick, it’s funky, it’s fun. And that’s the key part of what we would like to create here.”

But not with crazy late start times in order to appease massive TV audiences in the Indian market?

“No, this needs to be a fan-centric model,” he assured.

“Clearly we will need a smart broadcasting strategy, clearly we would like the competition to be attractive to overseas markets.

“But first and foremost this is a concept we have put together and put to New Zealand Cricket which we think is great for New Zealand players and New Zealand fans.”