NZC withdraws from MLC franchise partnership, cites focus on New Zealand
NZC CEO said the decision to step back from the agreement was driven by a need to focus resources on opportunities in New Zealand before looking to expand
New Zealand Cricket have stepped back from their agreement with the US-based company True North Sports Ventures to provide high performance and operational support to a venture which involved launching a Major League Cricket franchise in 2027.
The agreement was made in April 2025. NZC, on Wednesday, announced its decision to step back from the venture, confirming that NZC had invested no capital in the partnership and would have no ongoing investment or involvement.
Geoff Allott, the NZC CEO said the decision to step back from the agreement was driven by a need to focus resources on opportunities in New Zealand, before looking to expand.
“Firstly, I want to say that I admire the endeavour and aspiration behind the partnership with TNS,” Allott said. “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.
"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. I want to thank TNS and MLC co-founders Sameer Mehta and Vijay Srinivasan for allowing us to explore the opportunity and their support in coming to this mutual agreement.
"We wish them all the best for the future of MLC and have pledged to keep the lines of communication open.”
