Hagley Oval gets Super Smash cricket finals
- Dave Worsley
- Aug 20
- 2 min read
Christchurch’s Hagley Oval is set to play host to the 2025-26 Super Smash women’s and men’s elimination and grand finals.
New Zealand’s best will descend on Christchurch for a weekend of finals cricket in the last three days of January, mirroring the one-ground finals initiative introduced last season which saw Wellington’s Cello Basin Reserve successfully host.
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Notable is that Auckland will be based out of Hamilton.
The 32-day, 64-game competition gets underway on Boxing Day, with the Northern Brave hosting the Auckland Hearts and Aces at Seddon Park in Hamilton, with play almost every single day until the final round-robin clash on January 26.
The 2024-25 season was a watershed one for the Super Smash with TVNZ broadcasts reaching over one million New Zealanders, along with a record 7.3 million views across Super Smash content on NZC’s digital channels.
KFC’s “6’s for Surf” is back again, with KFC pledging $100 for every six hit, with $38,100 donated to Surf Lifesaving NZ last season.
Tom Bruce, Central Stags captain and last season’s Dream11 Super Smash Men’s Player of the Year said the quality of the Super Smash was extremely high.
“You’ve got Black Caps and White FErns scattered across the teams along with plenty of up and coming stars pushing for their chance at the next level.
“With only six teams in the competition, you have to constantly be thinking about evolving your game as you often play similar squads a few times a season.
“You’re forced to progress your game as individuals and as a team, otherwise players will figure you out pretty quickly.
“It’s also great for players to get used to playing in front of a large crowd and a pretty substantial TV audience too.
New Years Day sees a repeat of last season’s men’s final, with The Canterbury Kings hosting the Central Stags at Hagley Oval.
The Kings will be looking to earn their first T20 title in 20 years after coming agonisingly close as runners-up in the past five seasons.
Last season, standout performances from the likes of Zak Foulkes and Bevon Jacobs earned them both Black Caps T20 call-ups, and franchise cricket opportunities.
The full schedule can be seen here
