Photo Credit: New Zealand Cricket
Get ready to pack your picnic, slap on your sunscreen, and fly your team’s colours over the upcoming holiday-season: the 2022-23 Dream11 Super Smash presented by KFC is coming to a town near you.
Scheduled to coincide with the school break and summer holidays, the latest iteration of New Zealand’s domestic T20 league will welcome back families, children, crowds, and fun, following the challenges of last season’s Covid-related restrictions.
We’re talking 64 games, comprising 32 men’s and women’s double-headers, starting on December 23 and played at 10 venues across 10 cities, including a much-awaited return to Nelson’s Saxton Oval.
And if you cannot make it in person, fear not – you can still catch the thrills and skills of the Dream11 Super Smash on TV or a device of your choice: every game will be streamed live on Spark Sport, and 32 will be broadcast live on free-to-air TVNZ.
The action will start with a round that includes a repeat of last year’s men’s and women’s finals, the current men’s champions Northern Brave squaring off against the Canterbury Kings at Bay Oval, and reigning women’s champions the Wellington Blaze taking on the Otago Sparks at the Cello Basin Reserve.
Double-headers will be played in Wellington on Christmas Eve, in Christchurch on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, and in New Plymouth on New Year’s Eve.
Dream11 Super Smash League Manager Nicky Britten said the 2022-23 competition sought to build on the momentum of the domestic T20 game over the past five years – notwithstanding the complications experienced last summer due to Covid.
“This summer is all about welcoming back the crowds and providing fans with the best possible opportunity to get out and experience the action first-hand, to let their hair down and have a good time,” she said.
“As our BLACKCAPS and WHITE FERNS have shown at the last T20 World Cup and Commonwealth Games, respectively – we have some seriously good T20 players in New Zealand, and the Dream11 Super Smash is the ideal stage on which they can be viewed.”
Ms Britten said coverage of the league, via Spark Sport or TVNZ, meant Kiwis would continue to have the chance to access more cricket than ever before.
“It’s great to be able to have so much cricket within the reach of fans,” she said.
“Last season the coverage attracted more than 1.4m viewers, and the number of people tuning in has doubled over the past five years – which is terrific for exposing our game to fans and young New Zealanders.
“This is a brilliant competition for showcasing excitement, action and fun, while still retaining a really serious edge in terms of high-performance – it’s the ultimate cricket mix.”
Ms Britten said given venue sizes and the popularity of cricket during the holiday season, it was likely some games would go close to selling out, and encouraged fans to avoid disappointment by purchasing tickets in advance.
Dream11 Super Smash tickets are on-sale now, visit www.supersmash.co.nz for details.
