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All set for another star-studded, high finance Indian Premier League

Source: Radio New Zealand

Kyle Jamieson of Punjab Kings celebrates a wicket, 2025. ARJUN SINGH / PHOTOSPORT

The Indian Premier League heads into its 19th season this weekend with the best short-format players from around the globe playing for big money.

Here is everything you need to know about the 2026 IPL.

Money

  • The IPL is the richest franchise T20 competition in the world with an estimated value of $30 billion.
  • The most valuable franchise is Royal Challengers Bengaluru at an estimated $3b.
  • The League generates around $2.3b annually, primarily from broadcast rights.
  • The 10 franchises had a combined total of $50 million to spend on the player auction in December.
  • Kokata paid $4.78m for Australian all-rounder Cameron Green.
  • The IPL winners will collect $5m.

Owners

  • The IPL is owned and run by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, while the individual franchises are owned by various multi-national companies, celebrities, individuals and private equity groups.
  • In March Royal Challengers Bengaluru was sold by the Indian arm of UK-based drinks giant Diageo to a group headed by Aditya Birla Group which specialises in cement, fashion, metals and chemicals.
  • Bollywood is heavily involved including actor Shah Rukh Khan who is a part owner of the Kolkata franchise and Preity Zinta who is with the Punjab Kings.
  • Many of the celebrities attend matches to add some extra sparkle and increase the fan-base for their teams.

History

  • The first tournament was played in 2008.
  • Most wins; Five, Mumbai Indians (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020) and Chennai Super Kings (2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023)
  • Current champions; Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Rachin Ravindra of Chennai Super Kings. © R Param / Sportzpics for IPL 2025 / PHOTOSPORT

New Zealand involvement

Twelve New Zealanders are taking part in the 2026 competition with eight of those picked up in the auction.

  • Chennai Super Kings; Matt Henry, Zak Foulkes. Coach Stephen Fleming.
  • Delhi Capitals; Kyle Jamieson.
  • Gujurat Titans; Glenn Phillips.
  • Kolkata Knight Riders; Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra.
  • Mumbai Indians; Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult.
  • Punjab Kings; Lockie Ferguson.
  • Rajasthan Royals; Adam Milne.
  • Royal Challengers Bengaluru; Jacob Duffy.
  • Sunrisers Hyderabad; Coach Daniel Vettori.

Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bengaluru celebrates their IPL win, 2025. ARJUN SINGH / PHOTOSPORT

Records

  • Highest innings score, 287/3 by Sunrisers Hyderbad against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2024
  • Highest score, 175* Chris Gayle. Also has most sixes 357.
  • Most total runs, 8,661 Virat Kohli (2008-present)
  • Most wickets, 221 Yuzvendra Chahal (2011-present)
  • Best bowling figures, 6/12 Alzarri Joseph for Mumbai Indians against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2019.
  • Most appearances, MS Donhi 278 (2008-present)

Format

  • Double round-robin before the top four teams meet in the play-offs.
  • Competition runs from 28 March to 31 May.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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NZ netball franchises rule out Australian Super Netball expansion bid

Source: Radio New Zealand

ANZ Premiership players are taking a pay cut this year. Photosport

Several New Zealand netball franchises explored joining Australia’s expanding Super Netball competition, but have ruled it out as financially unviable.

Australia’s governing body confirmed last year it was considering adding two new teams to the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) from 2027, and was open to expressions of interest from New Zealand.

While neither Netball New Zealand nor Netball Australia would confirm whether a formal bid was submitted before last month’s deadline, RNZ understands investigations were carried out by both the national body and local franchises.

Magic team relationship manager Gary Dawson said the opportunity generated interest, but the costs involved made it unrealistic.

“I know that some zones had a look at it and thought ‘no we can’t it’s not viable for us’.”

Netball Australia invited expressions of interest from parties interested in acquiring a new licence, including private-ownership groups, existing SSN licence-holders, and entities affiliated with other codes.

“That’s been something that I know that not only has Netball NZ looked at but I think there have been interested parties in New Zealand outside of Netball NZ who have looked at that and I’m not sure where that stands.

“My understanding is that yes Netball NZ has certainly looked at it but my understanding is it’s not necessarily part of their plans at the moment.”

Dawson said some of the zones, who generally own and operate their ANZ Premiership teams, quickly realised it wasn’t feasible.

“Just about all of us sort of had a look at it but when you do the numbers you have to be pretty ambitious if you’re a zone to even look at it I would have thought. My understanding is none of them have put a bid in, some may have, I’m not sure.

“For Magic it was just out of the question anyway because we’ve got to get our own house in order before we even think about Australia.

“Our focus really at the moment has been on getting this year up and running and making it a great competition but also working with Netball NZ to make sure we’ve got plans in place for next year and beyond.”

The Tactix were crowned maiden title winners last year but lost seven players soon after. Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz

Dawson, a former Waikato Rugby and Chiefs chief executive, said just pursuing an SSN licence would take a lot of time and resource.

“Then you would have to pay a licence fee to join, you’ve got a whole bunch of costs like who pays for trans-Tasman travel, player remuneration is another kettle of fish, you would have to meet whatever their salary cap requirements are and all that sort of stuff so it’s a whole new ball game when you look at that competition so you would have to have pretty strong financial backing from sponsors or private equity to be able to put in a bid I would imagine.

“It’s really up to Netball NZ to decide when they look at the different financial models and so on what they can afford or not.

“Personally I don’t think it’s a big deal, I think all the focus is really going on the ANZ Premiership and making sure that it’s a great competition this year and we come out of it strong with a good product that we can go into following years with.”

Dawson said it was still possible that a private consortium in New Zealand could have put together some sort of bid.

“There could be private interests who said ‘let’s create a team to enter in the Australian league’, a bit like the Warriors or Auckland FC – that’s certainly a possibility, other organisations have done that, but I don’t know.”

NNZ exploring 2027 options

The six franchises are about to enter another ANZ Premiership season under a cloud of uncertainty as to where its future lies, with no broadcast deal in place yet from 2027.

The ANZ Premiership was launched in 2017 after the demise of the former trans-Tasman league. PHOTOSPORT

Dawson said Netball NZ had been working with the franchises and other key stakeholders over the future of the domestic competition, which starts on 11 April.

“To figure out what 2027 and even 2028 could possibly look like. They’ve come to us with a timeline and the different pieces of work that need to be done to come to decisions about next year and the year after.

“I would hope that by the end of April, early May at the very latest, that we have an indication from Netball NZ as to what 2027 will look like. Just from a practical point of view, we have to book venues, we have to start talking to potential sponsors and all those sorts of things.”

The look and feel of the ANZ Premiership has not materially changed since its inaugural season in 2017 and Dawson said the national body was exploring all sorts of options.

“I’m not across all of them but looking at a number of options as to how we could have different leagues or a league running next year and until all that work’s done and they’ve made their decision, it’s just speculation at the moment but I do know they are looking at a variety of options for what will I think ultimately be the best outcome given the circumstances.”

Dawson said everyone had to be adaptable when there was less money in the system.

“The players have taken a 20 percent pay cut this year but the quid pro quo there is that they are also not expected to train as much as they have in the past so while they’re earning less they are doing less work technically.”

He said they have had to tighten their spending across the board.

“That’s been a fact of life for just about all franchises for the last four or five years that we run on a pretty tight budget, the revenue from sponsorship gets harder and harder and obviously through Netball NZ with the broadcast rights, that revenue has reduced so it is a difficult environment financially.”

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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NRL: NZ Warriors star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck confirms move to Wakefield Trinity

Source: Radio New Zealand

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has been a Warriors fan favourite – on and off – since 2016. Photosport

NZ Warriors star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has confirmed his rumoured move to English Super League club Wakefield Trinity at the end of the current NRL season.

The league/union double international is a former Warriors captain and the only player from the club to win the Dally M Medal, as the competition’s Player of the Year.

… More to come

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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Government reveals details of fuel crisis rationing plan – and who will be prioritised

Source: Radio New Zealand

The government has fleshed out its National Fuel Plan, outlining rationing measures that would be taken if supplies start running dry.

Resembling the Covid alert levels, the plan has four ‘phases’. New Zealand is at phase one.

Phase 2 would see homes, businesses and the public sector encouraged to conserve fuel.

The higher phases are still under consultation.

Phase 3 would see fuel prioritised for life-preserving services and phase 4 would see stricter intervention in fuel distribution.

Moving up or down levels is decided by a ministerial oversight group based on fuel stocks, restrictions and supply chain data.

“While there is currently no need for fuel restrictions, the public can be assured that the government is planning carefully, acting early and making sure New Zealand is well positioned to respond, whatever the global environment brings,” Finance Minister Nicola Willis said.

“Ensuring New Zealand has the fuel we need to protect jobs, livelihoods and the wider economy is our first priority in managing the impact of global fuel disruption.

“The updates released today give practical effect to the National Fuel Plan established in 2024 and reflect the specific potential risks New Zealand could face as a result of major fuel disruption driven by the conflict in the Middle East.”

Minister Shane Jones, responsible for fuel security, said the updates were developed alongside the fuel industry.

“This is critical because the plan relies on fuel companies cooperating and working constructively with government,” he said.

“My expectation is that we continue to work together as the situation evolves. The industry will play a key role in providing advice to the Ministerial Oversight Group if and when we are required to consider a move between phases.

“New Zealand has sufficient fuel stocks, but we are planning for potential scenarios where obtaining future supply could become increasingly difficult.”

The criteria for changing phases were:

“The plan is designed to keep fuel flowing where it matters most, relying on market settings wherever possible, and only stepping in further if supply is genuinely at risk,” Willis said.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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Live: Restrict, ration or advise? Nicola Willis to outline national fuel plan details

Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow live updates in our blog above.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones are set to explain the triggers that would prompt fuel restrictions, rationing or guidance.

Willis assured voters in her answers to questions in the House on Thursday that “we will not be changing the fuel response overnight”.

She and Jones are due to hold a media conference at midday.

“We will also provide more information about the criteria we will use to assess when a change in the response phase is required,” Willis said.

“This would include changes like the amount of fuel in the country,” she said.

Willis also told MPs in the House that the government’s goal was to “avoid ever getting to response phase three or four”.

“These are envisaged in the national fuel plan as the point at which prioritisation of fuel would be required.

“Our goal is to be doing enough to source the supply of fuel internationally that that does not become necessary, and by taking sufficient actions in response phases one and two, that we wouldn’t reach phase three and four,” she said.

Willis also doesn’t expect the government would need to be “skipping through the response phases” of the alert level framework.

Petrol, diesel, and jet fuel would be able to be treated at different alert levels under the framework.

Follow the livestream and updates in our blog at the top of this page.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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Government may pause fuel taxes increases

Source: Radio New Zealand

Transport Minister Chris Bishop speaking at the Automobile Association’s annual conference on Friday. RNZ / Marika Khabazi

The government may put on hold its plans to raise fuel taxes next year, as it deals with how to respond to the fuel crisis.

National campaigned on not lifting fuel taxes at all in its first term, which Transport Minister Chris Bishop maintains was “the right thing to do” in a cost of living crisis.

Instead, the government plans to bring in a 12 cents per litre increase from January 2027, followed by a 6 cents per litre rise in 2028, and 4 cents per litre in subsequent years.

Fuel taxes are set at a flat rate per litre, meaning they do not go up or down as the price of fuel does.

The government has been resistant to cutting the fuel tax in the crisis, wary that doing so would subsidise demand.

The transport system is supposed to be user-pays, but Bishop said increasingly it was coming from general taxation.

Speaking to the Automobile Association’s annual conference on Friday morning, Bishop admitted that not raising fuel excise duty had deferred the issue of how the government funds transport infrastructure until later.

Chris Bishop says Kiwis’ transport habits are changing during the current Middle East crisis. RNZ / Marika Khabazi

But he hinted the government may defer the anticipated rise further.

“I have to be honest with you, the idea that we would raise fuel tax during a fuel crisis doesn’t seem like a starter to me. So we’re thinking hard about these funding challenges. They are real, and they do exist.”

The government’s intention is to replace all fuel excise duty with road user charges, which diesel and electric vehicles already pay.

Bishop also said people’s transport habits were changing in response to the conflict.

Comparing the two weeks pre-conflict in mid-February with seven-day rolling averages in the subsequent weeks, Bishop said there had been a reduction of approximately 20 percent in vehicle kilometres travelled by car.

“This is not necessarily surprising when petrol prices are up about 30 percent. Also not surprising is that people are responding in a predictable way, they’re using public transport more.”

Public transport boardings were up more than 10 percent in Auckland and Wellington.

Last week also saw the highest number of electric vehicles registered since the end of 2023, around the time the new government abolished the Clean Car Discount scheme.

Year-do-date EV registrations were nearly 2000 higher than this time last year.

But Bishop was adamant the government would not bring back the discount, saying people who did not have the ability to make the transition to EVs were having to pay more, to give money to people who could make the transition.

“It was a regressive wealth transfer policy, and so we will not be bringing back the Clean Car Discount.”

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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Woman missing in Auckland found after police appeal

Source: Radio New Zealand

Supplied / NZ police

A 50-year-old woman who was reported missing from the Birkenhead area in Auckland has been found on Friday morning.

Earlier today, police had appealed for sightings of Jacqueline who was last seen near Fernglen Gardens on Kauri Road at around 12.30pm on Thursday.

Police and Jacqueline’s family had been concerned for her wellbeing and wanted her to return home.

In a statement, police thanked members of the public who shared the appeal and the information provided to them as a result.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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Farms running dry of fuel as rural distributors struggle with allocation

Source: Radio New Zealand

Caroline Kirk of Mahana Farm at Raukawa south of Hastings, that’s home to hundreds of bulls and up to 10,000 lambs at peak. SUPPLIED/CAROLINE KIRK

Farms that rely on fuel are running dry as rural distributors face new limits due to spiking demand.

In Central Hawke’s Bay, the Kirk family’s large dry stock farm at Ruakawa has run out of fuel.

The farm, a half-hour’s drive south of Hastings, usually received a monthly delivery of bulk fuel for the 600-hectare site, home to up to 700 bulls and 10,000 lambs at peak.

But co-owner Caroline Kirk said the usual order expected 10 days ago never came.

She said the biggest concern was that the reticulated drinking water system for livestock ran on fuel.

“We ran out of diesel last week and we’ve just run out of unleaded this week,” she said.

“We’re totally reliant on reticulated water from tanks that we pump water to, so there is no back-up really, if we can’t run our pumps, there’s no water.”

Kirk said they were in contact with their rural fuel distributor Fern Energy, which was facing fuel allocation limits from its importers.

Fortunately, they were not feeding out a lot at the moment, she said.

“So yeah, we just have to keep going into town getting 20-litre containers. It seems a bit crazy to be going and burning fuel to go and get more fuel.”

Kirk said she believed primary production would be prioritised, as farming was vital to the economy.

“It would be nice just to know when the fuel truck is arriving and if they could please allocate our rural tankers some fuel so that they can get it delivered to farms, because we need it, yeah, to keep the country going.”

Fuel-hungry farmers being prioritised

Distributor Fern Energy said it was doing its best to prioritise fuel deliveries based on need.

The Ōtautahi-based fuel distributor and storage firm picked up fuel allocated by importers at 11 ports nationwide for its approximately 10,000 primary industry customers nationwide.

Chief executive Chris Gourley said its fuel allocation had been affected by “artificial demand”, driven by panic-buying and stockpiling of fuel as prices soared.

He said it was a complex and challenging situation, as it tried to meet its orders.

“For farmers, if they’ve got no fuel, they can’t work, so it’s really urgent,” Gourley said.

“We have to make decisions around who we think needs that fuel the most. But it’s the same for all distributors.”

Gourley said its teams understood the frequency of farmers’ fuel orders and usage, and assured they were working hard to get to all their primary sector customers.

“We’re looking at which customers are getting close to running out or are dry, and we’re focusing on them first, and we’re working our way through it as best we can.

“Looking at our information around how much fuel that farmer’s used in the past, what time of the season we’re in, and we’re working towards getting to them.”

He said hotspots where allocations were tight included in Hawke’s Bay, but also Nelson, Southland and Christchurch.

“The Hawke’s Bay around Napier has been a real hot spot for us in regards to access to fuel out of out of that port.

“You’ve got Nelson and Southland, in particular… Christchurch is also quite challenged at the moment. It’s moving, it’s dynamic.

“For example, last week, early in the week, Nelson wasn’t too much of an issue, and now it is.”

He recognised it was difficult for farmers in need of fuel, and said while it was not ideal, those in need may have to seek out their own supply from the truck stop or from other distributors.

“Farmers that are in arable or farmers that are harvesting or cutting grass, they need fuel. So they’re the ones that are really starting to use that fuel quite quickly.

“If you’re in that situation where you’ve got no fuel, look for opportunities to potentially fill up the jerry can at the truck stop.”

Some of the residents of the Mahana Farm at Raukawa near Hastings in central Hawkes Bay, where fuel has run out. SUPPLIED/CAROLINE KIRK

Panic-buying affecting country’s supply

Gourley urged the public not to panic-buy petrol, as it was having flow-on effects for the rural sector.

“If you don’t need fuel, don’t enter that market and try stockpile fuel., because it just really does generate problems for everybody.

“We’re really trying to all of us, the importers, the distributors, everybody’s trying to balance that fuel.

“We have good supplies coming in, but it’s those spikes when demand lifts, particularly artificial demand, which puts pressure on the network.”

He said calls via Fern’s hotline increased four-fold in the weeks after the war began.

The cost of Brent crude oil rose six percent to US$108.50per barrel overnight, up more than 6 percent.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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Xero signs deal with AI giant Anthropic

Source: Radio New Zealand

Xero will integrate Anthropic’s Claude AI system directly into its platform.

Accounting software company Xero and artificial intelligence firm Anthropic have announced a multi-year deal to add AI tools to the accounting softward giant’s tools.

Under the deal, Xero will integrate Anthropic’s Claude AI system directly into its platform – and allow Xero customers to use their financial data inside Claude’s interface.

The companies say the aim is to give small businesses and their accountants real-time financial insights they can act on immediately.

Xero chief product and technology officer Diya Jolly said small business owners routinely grappled with questions about tight cashflow and overdue invoices, and the integration with Anthropic was designed to help answer those in seconds.

“To run their business efficiently, small business owners and their accountants and bookkeepers need to be able to answer these questions and act on them in real time, whether using Xero or Claude,” she said.

Xero said the AI tools would reduce the time businesses spend chasing invoices, manually compiling reports, or trying to forecast cashflow, with Claude proactively surfacing insights and recommended actions.

The company also emphasised that the partnership fits within its responsible data-use commitments – with financial information shared between platforms used only for a customer’s session and not used to train Claude’s AI models.

Jolly said integrating Claude moves Xero further into “agentic workflows”, with its AI assistant JAX (Just Ask Xero) helping predict cashflow gaps and carry out more complex financial tasks on behalf of users.

Anthropic managing director for international Chris Ciauri said the tools would give small businesses access to the kind of financial intelligence that previously would have required a dedicated analyst or chief financial officer.

“Instead of spending hours making sense of their financials on top of everything else it takes to run a business, customers get clear answers and recommended actions in real time,” he said.

Xero and Anthropic expect to roll out the new Claude features in the coming months.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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In pictures: Aftermath of the storm in the upper North Island

Source: Radio New Zealand

Kāeo Church surrounded by floodwaters. Supplied / Christopher Maca

Northland Civil Defence teams are assessing the damage after the latest storm with the Far North and Whangārei set to remain under a state of emergency for another six days.

Hundreds of people were evacuated in Kaitaia on Thursday night and more than 400 households and businesses were still without power on Friday morning after the heavy rain.

Damage has again been done to the roading network in the upper North Island with roads and state highways closed and drivers urged to take care due to surface flooding and slippery conditions.

Thursday night’s flooding has caused serious damage to the road surface on Whakapara Bridge, on State Highway 1 north of Whangārei. RNZ / Nick Monro

Flood damage on Whakapara Bridge, north of Whangārei. NZTA

Flood damage on Whakapara Bridge, north of Whangārei. RNZ / Nick Monro

A road closure due to flood damage on Whakapara Bridge, on State Highway 1 north of Whangārei. RNZ / Nick Monro

State Highway 25 just north of Whangamata, crews clear a fallen tree. RNZ / Yiting Lin

The main road in Kawakawa on Friday morning after the Northland heavy rain. RNZ / Nick Monro

The World War I Memorial Forest in Whangamata is under water on Friday with the Waikiekie Stream fast flowing and brown after heavy rain in Northland. RNZ / Yiting Lin

Flooding at the World War I Memorial Forest in Whangamata on Friday. RNZ / Yiting Lin

Fog in the Bay of Islands the day after Thursday’s storm. RNZ / Nick Monro

The water is receding and the sun is out in Kāeo, in Northland, on Friday morning. State Highway 10 has reopened just north of the town, restoring road access to Kaitāia and the top of the Far North. Supplied / Christopher Maca

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand