Black Caps opener Finn Allen has signed a three-year deal with the Melbourne Stars, reportedly the most expensive player contract in Australian Big Bash League (BBL) T20 cricket history.
The deal is worth NZ$740,000 over three years. Allen, 27, previously played for the Perth Scorchers, and will now line up alongside stars Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis at the Melbourne Stars.
Allen had a huge BBL season in 2025/26, finishing as the competition’s leading run scorer with 466 runs, and smashing a record 38 sixes along the way.
He has also had a big year for New Zealand, scoring a record-breaking century against South Africa that helped the Black Caps reach the final of the Twenty20 World Cup in India.
“The Stars are a powerhouse team in this competition, so it’s going to be a lot of fun playing for them,” Allen said. “They’ve already got a huge fanbase and they’re only getting bigger, and I can’t wait to be a part of that.”
Allen isn’t the only Kiwi on the move in the BBL. Tim Seifert has signed a one-year deal switching from the Melbourne Renegades to the Sydney Sixers, while Mark Chapman is expected to join the Adelaide Strikers.
It’s shaping up to be a big summer of cricket across the Tasman for New Zealand’s biggest T20 stars.
Te Reo Māori
Pane: Kua Waitohu te Black Cap i tētahi Kirīmana Whakamīharo
Kua waitohu a Finn Allen, kaipatu Black Caps, i tētahi kirīmana e toru tau te roa ki te Melbourne Stars, e kīia ana ko te kirīmana kaitākaro nui rawa atu i roto i te hītori o te Big Bash League (BBL) o Ahitereiria, arā te kirikiti T20.
He $740,000 te utu o te kirīmana mō ngā tau e toru. Ko Allen, 27 ōna tau, i tākaro i mua ake mō te Perth Scorchers, ā, ināianei ka tākaro tahi ia me ngā kaitākaro rongonui a Glenn Maxwell rāua ko Marcus Stoinis mō te Melbourne Stars.
He tau tino pai tō Allen i te BBL i te tau 2025/26, koia te kaipatu whai piro nui rawa atu o te whakataetae me ana pōro 466, ā, i patu hoki i te 38 ono-piro, he rekoati anō tēnei.
He tau nui hoki tōna mō Aotearoa, i patu ia i tētahi rau (century) rekoati ki a Awherika ki te Tonga, i āwhina i ngā Black Caps kia eke ki te whiringa toa o te Ipu-ā-Ao Twenty20 i Inia.
“He rōpū kaha rawa atu te Stars i tēnei whakataetae, nō reira ka tino harikoa taku tākaro mō rātou,” e ai ki a Allen. “Kua nui kē tā rātou hunga tautoko, ā, kei te nui haere tonu, ā, kua hihiko ahau ki te uru atu ki tērā.”
Ehara ko Allen anake te Kiwi e neke ana i te BBL. Kua waitohu a Tim Seifert i tētahi kirīmana kotahi tau, ka neke atu i te Melbourne Renegades ki te Sydney Sixers, ā, e tūmanakohia ana ka uru atu a Mark Chapman ki te Adelaide Strikers.
Ka kitea he raumati kirikiti tino nui kei te whakatakotoria mō ngā whetū T20 rongonui rawa atu o Aotearoa i tērā taha o te Tasman.
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