New Zealand Cricket will become the first full member of the ICC to launch a franchise in an overseas professional cricket league. NZC is set to team up with United States-based company True North Sports Ventures (TNS) to launch a new Major League Cricket franchise, set to debut in the 2027 season. NZC has become a foundation investor in TNS, with the possibility to make a more substantial equity investment before the end of 2025.
NZC will provide high-performance and management support, including coaching, management and support staff. MLC co-founders Sameer Mehta and Vijay Srinivasan are the majority owners of entities which hold exclusive rights to own and operate two MLC expansion franchises, the first of which will be launched by TNS in 2027. They are exploring key markets across North America, including Canada’s Toronto and US’s Atlanta to base the new franchise. Mehta and Srinivasan had co-founded Willow TV, North America’s premier cricket broadcaster, before they co-founded the MLC in 2023.
MLC, which achieved ‘List A’ status ahead of its 2024 season, is a global T20 tournament played in North America over three to four weeks during June and July. MLC has currently six franchises and features players such as Pat Cummins, , David Miller, , Rachin Ravindra, and Matt Henry.
“This agreement marks a unique and exciting milestone for NZC,” NZC chief executive Scott Weenink said. “As franchise cricket grows globally, NZC needs to adapt to seize strategic opportunities that ensure the sustainability of our cricket network. This helps diversify our revenue streams, expands our global brand and fan base, and creates new talent development and retention pathways for both our players and coaches.”
The yet-to-be named New Zealand-backed franchise, set to be formally announced later this year, hopes to tap into 25 million strong cricket fan base in North America. IN the recent times, T20 cricket world cup was held in the region and the sport is also now included in the 2028 LA Olympics. MLC plans to expand to eight teams by 2027 and ten by 2031. NZC have said in a press release that they are also exploring the opportunity to partner with Mehta and Srinivasan on other strategic opportunities, such as the second franchise planned for 2031.
In a statement, TNS said: “The potential for cricket in North America is immense, and we look forward to working with NZC to deliver on both our ambitions and theirs, including broader strategic and corporate opportunities globally.”
