NZ Cricket Defends NZ20 Launch Amid Criticism Over Secret Deloitte Report

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has defended its handling of the new NZ20 domestic T20 competition after criticism that the governing body lacked transparency when it chose to build its own franchise league rather than join Australia's Big Bash League. NZC announced in March that NZ20 would replace the long-running Super Smash provincial competition. The decision drew fire from cricket great Richard Hadlee and former NZC president Lesley Murdoch, who questioned why the board refused to share a Deloitte report whose analysis favoured exploring the Big Bash option further. In a statement on Wednesday, NZC chair Diana Puketapu-Lyndon admitted the board "should have done a better job" explaining the decision when it was announced. She said the Deloitte report was only one of four expert reports considered, alongside analyses of community cricket, high-performance pathways and fan engagement, and that its own recommendation was for the board to weigh both options. Puketapu-Lyndon said New Zealand's six Major Associations and the players' association both backed NZ20 over the Big Bash route, and that the board voted 7-0 in favour. The full Deloitte report will remain confidential. She described NZ20 as "the biggest change to domestic cricket in a generation," saying it could revolutionise the game from grassroots to elite level. The six-team, privately owned league was originally slated for this summer but has been pushed back to the 2027-28 home season to allow more time for setup and to accommodate the international calendar.