(Reuters) -New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said on Wednesday it has agreed terms with American company True North Sports Ventures (TNS) to launch a new Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise that will debut in the 2027 season.
NZC said it would be a "first-of-its-kind agreement" between a full member of the International Cricket Council and a franchise of a professional cricket league, with TNS looking at Toronto and Atlanta among other cities to base the franchise.
NZC will provide "high-performance and operational support" which includes coaching, management and support staff for the Twenty20 tournament which had its inaugural edition staged in 2023.
"As franchise cricket grows globally, NZC needs to adapt to seize strategic opportunities that ensure the sustainability of our cricket network," NZC chief executive Scott Weenink said in a statement.
"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."
MLC currently has six teams based in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Texas and Washington DC. They plan to expand to eight teams by 2027 and 10 by 2031.
NZC also said it has the opportunity topartner with MLC co-founders Sameer Mehta and Vijay Srinivasan on other opportunities, which include a second franchise planned for 2031.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Pritha Sarkar)
