Last Updated on 19 seconds ago by Charbel Coorey
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has backed out of an agreement with US-based True North Sports Ventures to provide high performance and operational support for a proposed Major League Cricket franchise from 2027. The partnership was announced in April 2025, but NZC has now decided to withdraw from its involvement after further review of the opportunity.
NZC has confirmed it has not invested any capital in the partnership and will have no further involvement in the venture. The decision follows the governing body’s goal of placing greater emphasis on cricket development and high performance programs in New Zealand.
New Zealand Cricket pulls out of MLC 2027 plans to target home opportunities
NZC chief executive Geoff Allott said the decision followed further evaluation of the opportunity in the United States. He admitted there was promise in the American cricket market but said the timing wasn’t right for NZC to proceed with the venture.
MORE TO READ: Praise for Temba Bavuma: Brilliant 179 turns Gqeberha Test on its head
“First of all, I want to say I admire the endeavor and aspiration behind the partnership with TNS,” Allott said. “There is a lot of potential out there in the American market but after further consideration of the opportunity we don’t feel the timing is right for us to be taking this on.
“Our immediate focus is to ensure we continue to invest in strengthening cricket in New Zealand and provide the best possible high-performance environment for our players and teams. I would like to thank the TNS and MLC co-founders Sameer Mehta and Vijay Srinivasan for allowing us to explore this opportunity and for their support in coming to this mutual agreement.
“We wish them all the best for the future of MLC and have committed to keeping the lines of communication open.”
📍Follow CricBlog for more such cricket news & updates
 confirm they have pulled out of 2027 MLC Plans with True North Sports Ventures.){kind=link}