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Full Noise by SN
Australian Players Association to have say over NZ T20 future
Alex Chapman • March 18th, 2026 9:01 pm
Big Bash League | Photo: Photosport
As the wait for the decision over the future of New Zealand domestic T20 cricket drags on, a key stakeholder across the Tasman could end up having a massive say.
Sport Nation understands the Australian Cricketers Association - which serves as their Players Association - is questioning the idea of an NZ team entering the Big Bash League and seeking more details on the proposal.
It comes at a time when Cricket Australia is going through a similar process to that of New Zealand Cricket, when it comes to privatisation and/or expansion.
Like their Kiwi counterparts, the ACA would also have to sign off on any decision, though the NZCPA has publicly stated they won’t agree to an NZ team entering the BBL.
Last month, members of the NZ20 consortium, and representatives of the BBL and Cricket Australia presented separately to the NZC Board.
Heath Mills explains key difference between NZ20 and Super Smash | Sport Nation Mornings
It's believed the BBL proposal is centred around one New Zealand team, based in Auckland, entering the competition in 2028, while the NZ20 option would see six teams in a new competition through privatisation, as soon as next year.
Sport Nation understands the initial reactions favoured NZ20. However, that has since swayed, with one source describing the Big Bash proposal as “very impressive”.
The NZC Board this week met to make its decision, after receiving the findings of a Deloitte review. An outcome from the meeting is yet to be reached or revealed.
Deloitte was tasked with conducting a review examining various options for revitalising T20 cricket in New Zealand, including private ownership, a revamped Super Smash, and entering a New Zealand team into the BBL. Their findings were delivered last week.
Stephen Fleming on the NZ20 decision delay | Mornings w/Ric & Chappy
The review appears to stop short of a full recommendation for the future model but presents an analysis of all options presented and being discussed, alongside key stakeholder feedback.
It’s understood to be a two-horse race between NZ20 and the BBL.
The NZCPA is among those providing feedback, having been asked by the board last month to outline its stance regarding domestic T20 cricket in NZ.
The submitted letter states that the NZCPA – as a signatory and key stakeholder to the current Master Agreement - insists they’re “overwhelmingly supportive” of establishing the NZ20 competition and will “not support the proposal for one New Zealand team” in the Big Bash competitions.
An 11-item “strategic comparison” between the two competitions outlines why, as the letter puts it, “the BBL proposal is a vastly inferior option to NZ20” and the NZCPA “accordingly will not support it.”
Among the reasons why the Players Association doesn’t back the BBL is that it only “benefits a small cohort”, involving “15 per gender” for playing opportunities, and the NZ-based side would be a “minority participant in competition owned by Cricket Australia” which is “locked into CA calendar and governance".
Sport Nation understands the six Major Associations are also against the idea of the Big Bash League due to its limiting playing opportunities.
Daryl Mitchell on why New Zealand needs the proposed NZ20 franchise competition | Mornings
