New Zealand not to launch team in Major League Cricket

Former international pacer and current CEO of New Zealand Cricket, Geoff Allott, announced this development in a statement. | Photo Credit: New Zealand Cricket

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said it has ended its ​bid to launch a Major League ‌Cricket franchise in the 2027 season, ​stepping back from its ⁠partnership with True North Sports Ventures to focus on investing closer to ‌home.

NZC announced an agreement with the US company in ‌April last year and had ‌said ⁠it was looking at ⁠cities including Toronto and Atlanta to base a team in the American league, with ​the possibility ‌of adding a second team in 2031.

“There’s plenty of potential in the American market, however following ‌further evaluation of the opportunity, ​we don’t think the timing is right for us ⁠to be taking this on,” NZC CEO Geoff Allott said in ‌a statement.

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“Our immediate priority is ensuring we continue to invest in strengthening cricket in New Zealand and refining the best possible high-performance environment for our players ‌and teams.”

Allott also confirmed that NZC had ​not invested any capital in the partnership.

MLC, which currently ⁠has six teams based in Los ⁠Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Texas and Washington ‌DC, has said it plans to expand to 10 teams.