NZ Twenty20 competition details announced

The new name is a mouthful, and those wishing to gorge on New Zealand Twenty20 cricket can do so in a five-week window starting on November 1.

Dubbed the Georgie Pie Super Smash, the national T20 competition will open with back-to-back double-headers in Hamilton on November 1 and 2, with all six teams involved. Day one features Otago against Auckland, and Northern against Wellington, in a Saturday double-header.

The competition will also wrap up at Hamilton's Seddon Park, as it did last summer, with semifinals on December 5 and 6, and the final on December 7.

For the first time the schedule will focus on "festival weekends", featuring up to five games at one venue. Hamilton hosts the first two weekends, followed by Auckland's Eden Park, Wellington's Westpac Stadium and Napier's McLean Park. It means all sides other than the defending champion Northern Knights will play just three of their 10 matches at home.

New Zealand Cricket said 27 games would be televised live on Sky Sport, including 17 night matches.