Auckland Aces

The Men's Super Smash is currently also known as the Dream11 Super Smash as the league is sponsored by a fantasy game company Dream11. The league is a men's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition mainly based in New Zealand and is played in a round-robin and playoff format. According to the rules of the league the three teams with the maximum points on the points table advance to the playoffs. Before being named Super Smash In the 2014-15 season the league was called New Zealand T20 Competition, State Twenty20, HRV Cup, HRV Twenty20. The league consists of 6 teams, of which 4 are based on the North Island, and the other 2 are based on the South Island. The teams from the North Island feature the Auckland Aces, Central Stags, Northern Brave, and Wellington Firebirds whereas the teams from the South Island are Otago Volts and Canterbury Kings.

Auckland Aces, formally known as the Auckland cricket team is one of six New Zealand first-class cricket teams who represent the Auckland region in first-class cricket. The Auckland cricket team is governed by the Auckland cricket association. Auckland Cricket is arguably the most successful team in New Zealand as they have 28 Plunket Shield titles which included defending the championship title between 1936 and 1940, 10 Ford Trophy, and 4 trophies under their belt in the Super Smash League. Currently, the Auckland cricket players play their home games at Eden Park Outer Oval. In Limited-overs cricket, Auckland has a team known as Auckland Aces. Their one-day championship sponsor is Ford and on the other hand, their T20 sponsor is Mondiale.

In March 1860, Auckland became the first New Zealand team to visit another province. They visited Wellington and played against Wellington's one-day match. The Cricket Association of Auckland was founded in 1873. Thereafter, the Aces faced team Canterbury as their opponent in their first first-class match. In 1906-07 Auckland cricket team competed in the plunket shield, which was undertaken by the then Governor-general of New Zealand William Plunket.

The 1920s and 1930s are proudly known as the golden period of Auckland cricket. During that time, Auckland won seven Plunket Shield titles, four of them in consecutive years. In the 1920s Auckland created some great legends like Jack Mills and Ces Dacre. In the 1930s Auckland kept creating high-voltage players like Merv Wallace, Paul Whitelaw, Bill Carson, and Jack Cowie. Auckland remained one of the best teams in New Zealand first-class cricket until World War 2, some of their promising cricketers shipped overseas. A huge number of players died while serving in the army during world war 2.

In 1947 after the war ended, Auckland again won the plunket shield. The competition for the Plunket shield became tougher. Otago and Wellington dominate the next decade of plunket shield. Thereafter Also in the 1950s Central Districts and Northern Districts entered the plunket shield. This decade was known for the remarkable performance of each individual. The most recent squad of the Auckland Aces comprises Graeme Beghin, Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Robert O'Donnell, Mark Chapman, William O'Donnell, Ollie Pringle, Sean Solia, Ben Horne, Glenn Phillips, Jamie Brown, Louis Delport, Lockie Ferguson, Danru Ferns, Kyle Jamieson, Benjamin Lister, Matthew McEwan, Ross ter Braak, and last but not the least Will Somerville.

Auckland Aces Team Owner

The Auckland cricket team is governed rather than owned by the Auckland cricket association (ACA), Which was established in 1873. Thereafter they played their first first-class match against Canterbury In 1873. Over the years, the Auckland cricket team became the best side of New Zealand's domestic cricket. The team is regarded as one of the league’s most renowned and well-supported teams in the domestic scenario. It is for sure that the company will keep supporting the team in the upcoming seasons as they did in the previous ones.

Auckland Aces Brand Value

The team is one of the most successful in the league as they have been a part of 3 finals and 3 semifinal matches in 9 seasons of the Super Smash cricket league. Not many people are aware of the team outside the country's borders, thus the team's brand value could not be traced anywhere on the web but it is only predicted to witness a sharp and steady rise in the next few years relying on the terrific performances of the team members.

Performance of Auckland cricket Team in super smash over the years

The following table shows the summary of the performances of the Auckland Aces as a team starting from the 2014-15 season of the Super Smash to the latest season in 2023.

Year	Super Smash League Performance
2014/15	Runners-up
2015/16	Champions
2016/17	Semi-finalist 44444
2017/18	Semi-finalist
2018/19	Semi-finalist
2019/20	Runners-up
2020/21	5th place (league stage)
2021/22	5th place (league stage)
2022/23	6th place (league stage)
2023/24	Yet to be determined

Super Smash 2014/15 season:

In the 2014/15 season of super smash, Auckland played 10 league stage matches, out of 10 matches Auckland won 5 matches, lost 4 matches and 1 ended up with no results. Auckland played very well this season, they reached the final by defeating Northern Districts in the preliminary finals, and Auckland defeated Northern Districts by 6 wickets. In this match, Craig Cachopa is the top run scorer for Auckland, he scored 70 runs in just 47 balls with a strike rate of 168.08. Auckland effortlessly reached the final, where they had to face Wellington. In this final match of super smash, Auckland won the toss and elected to field first. Wellington scored 186/6 in their 20 overs. Michael Pollard was the top run scorer for Wellington, he scored 76 runs in just 56 balls with the strike rate of 135.71. In the chase, Auckland scored only 180/9 in 20 overs. Wellington won the match by 6 runs. Wellington became the champion of the super smash 2014/15 and Auckland became the runners-up.

Super Smash 2015/16 season:

The 2015/16 season he super smashes was the most flourishing of all the seasons they have played as of now. In this season, Auckland played 10 league stage matches, out of 10 matches Auckland won 5 matches, lost 3 matches and 2 were abandoned and up with no results owing to unavoidable causes. After a crushing defeat in the aforesaid season in the final match of the Super Smash, Auckland executed a very good comeback. Auckland reached the final by triumphing over Canterbury in the 2nd preliminary final. In this match, Auckland won the toss and elected to field first. Canterbury scored 113 runs in 19.3 overs. The match seemed to look good but the match was delayed by rain. But according to the DLS procedure, The target was lessened to 50 runs in 10 overs. It seemed to be an easy chase for the Aces. Sure enough, Auckland successfully chased the target and won the match by 2 runs.

After that win, Auckland reached the final, where they had to face Otago. In the final match, Auckland won the toss and elected to bat first. Auckland scored 166 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their 20 overs. Rob Nicol was the top run scorer for Auckland, he scored 77 runs in just 54 balls with the strike rate of 142.59. In the chase, Otago's scores were restricted to 146 runs for 9 wickets. The Auckland cricket team won the match by 20 runs. Auckland became the victor for the first time that season. Mitchell McClenaghan was the top wicket-taker for that season, he took 15 wickets with an average of 17.73.

Super Smash 2016/17 season:

In the 2016/17 season of super smash, the defending champions, Auckland Aces played 10 league stage matches, out of 10 matches Auckland won 5 matches, and lost 5 matches. After a victory last season, they reached the semi-final where they faced central districts. The Aces team won the toss and elected to bat first. They scored 212/4 in 20 overs. Glenn Phillips was the top run scorer for Auckland, with an excellent century. He scored 116 runs in 57 balls with a strike rate of 203.50. But Rain delayed the match; according to the DLS method, Northern districts won the match by 11 runs. Thus they staggered just two steps away from defending their championship title. At the end of the season, Glenn Phillips was the top run scorer for Auckland in the super smash 2016/17, he scored 369 runs with an average of 46.12. In this season Wellington won the super smash by defeating Northern Districts in the final match.

Super Smash 2017/18 season:

In the 2017/18 season of super smash, Auckland played 10 league stage matches, out of 10 matches Auckland won 5 matches, lost 3 matches and 2 ended up with no results. In this season, the Auckland cricket team reached the preliminary finals, where they faced Central districts. In this match, Auckland won the toss and elected to field first. Central districts scored 163/6 in their 20 overs. Dane Cleaver was the top run scorer for central districts, he scored 54 runs in just 33 balls with a strike rate of 163.63. In the chase, Auckland just scored 127/10 in 17.3 overs. Central districts won the match by 36 runs and reached the final of the super smash, where they had to face Northern districts. The Northern districts defeated the central districts in the final by 9 wickets.

Super Smash 2018/19 season:

In the 2018/19 season of super smash, Auckland played 10 league stage matches, out of 10 matches Auckland won 6 matches, lost 2 matches and 2 ended up with no results. In this season, the Auckland cricket team reached the preliminary finals, where they faced Central districts. In this match, Auckland won the toss and elected to field first. Central districts scored a huge total of 219/4 in their 20 overs. Will Young was the top run scorer for central districts, he scored 83 runs in just 54 balls with the strike rate of 153.70. But at the time of the chase, the Auckland cricket team just scored 175/5 in 20 overs. Central Districts won the match by 44 runs. Auckland failed to reach the finals. In the final match, the central districts defeated the Northern districts by 67 runs and won the super smash 2018/19 season.

Super Smash 2019/20 season:

In the 2019/20 season of super smash, Auckland played 10 league stage matches, out of 10 matches Auckland won 4 matches, lost 4 matches and 2 ended up with no results. In this season, Auckland easily reached the preliminary finals, where they faced Otago. In this match, Auckland won the toss and elected to field first. Otega scored 174/8 in their 20 overs. Nick Kelly was the top run scorer for Otega, he scored 60 runs in just 44 balls with a strike rate of 136.36. in the chase, Auckland successfully scored 178/7 in 19.5 overs. They won the match by 3 wickets. Auckland reached the final where they had to face Wellington. In the final match of super smash, Auckland won the toss and elected to field first. Wellington scored 168/7 on their 20 overs. In this match, Devon Convey was the top run scorer for Wellington, he scored 49 runs in just 37 runs with a strike rate of 132.43. In the chase, Auckland scored only 146/9 in 20 overs. Wellington won the match by 22 runs and won super smash 2019/20.

Super Smash 2020/21 season:

In the 2020/21 season of super smash, Auckland played 10 league stage matches, out of 10 matches Auckland won 2 matches, and lost 8 matches. The 2020/21 season was considered as one of the worst seasons for Auckland. Their poor performance led them to finish in 5th place in the points table. They will look to perform well next season and gain their status back.

Super Smash 2021/22 season:

In the 2021/22 season of super smash, Auckland played 10 league stage matches, out of 10 matches Auckland won 4 matches, and lost 6 matches. Also this season the Auckland cricket team failed to reach the preliminary final. For The poor batting performance, and bad bowling, unlike the previous season Auckland finished in 5th position in the points table. They have to perform well next season. Northern Districts won the final match by defeating Canterbury.

Super Smash 2022/23 season:

In the 2022/23 season of super smash, Auckland played 10 league stage matches, out of 10 matches Auckland won 3 matches, lost 5 matches and 1 match ended up with no results and 1 match tie. This season, the Auckland cricket team finished in 6th place and failed to qualify for the preliminary finals. Again their performance decreased this season. But being the top-notch first-class cricket team in all of New Zealand, they are expected to showcase a great comeback in the next season. In the final match of the season, Northern Districts defeated Canterbury to become champion.

Super Smash 2023/24 season:

The 2023-24 season of the Super Smash is yet to be played and the results are yet to be determined. The Auckland Aces will go into the tournament's second season low on confidence. The team will enter the next season they play in the tournament definitely as the dark horse. Though they could not make an impact with their performance in the last three seasons they played thus affecting their self-esteem. Nevertheless, their supporters will continue supporting their idols. Hopefully, they will manage to give their best performances like they did a few years ago, in the forthcoming seasons.

Their supporters will also wish that their favourite players will bring the championship trophy home for another time in the history of the team, in the next season they play. The players will also try to give their 100 per cent compared to their performances in the previous seasons. The 2023 squad for the Auckland Aces was an incredible team and gave an all-around performance in the entire season, it is no exaggeration to say that their all-around performance left a lot of people in awe. Despite their best fights they could not manage to reach the higher positions on the points table. But, it is for sure that their next season in the tournament will be packed with surprises and amazement for the Auckland Aces supporters.

Stats of Auckland Cricket Team Players

Being the best first-class team in New Zealand, the Auckland cricket team produced some great players. In their current squad, they have some great batters like Martin Guphtill, Colin Monro, and Robert O'Donnell. Some all-rounders like Mark Chapman, and William O'Donnell. Some excellent bowlers like Jamie Brown, Louis Deport, and Lockie Ferguson. They performed very well as a team.

Top Run Scorers for Auckland Cricket Team

The following table is a highlight of the top five run scorers for the Auckland Cricket Team for Super Smash 2023. The table enlists the number of matches played, runs scored, average per match, and their respective strike rate.

Robert O'Donnell seals the number one spot on the leaderboard of top five runs scorers for Auckland Aces with 210 runs from 8 matches he was a part of. He has an average of 26.25 per game and an amazing strike rate of a staggering 125.00.

Name of the Player	Matches Played	Runs Scored	Average	Strike Rate
Robert O'Donnell	8	210	26.25	125.00
Cole Briggs	8	180	22.50	125.00
Will O'Donnell	9	176	19.55	132.33
Sean Solia	9	168	21.00	118.30
Ben Horne	9	143	20.42	144.44

Top Wicket Takers for Auckland Cricket Team

The following table shows the list of top wicket-takers for the Auckland cricket Team for super smash 2022/23. The table enlists the number of matches played, wickets taken, bowling average per match, and their respective economy.

Louis Deport tops the list of top five wicket-takers for Abahani Limited in the 2023 season of Super Smash. He is in the number one spot with 10 wickets from 9 matches he was a part of recording a bowling average of 19.10 per match and has an amazing economy of 7.34.

Name of the Player	Matches Played	Wickets Taken	Average	Economy
Louis Deport	9	10	19.10	7.34
Sean Solia	9	10	22.10	8.44
Ben Lister	5	8	16.25	7.64
Locky Ferguson	3	4	22.25	7.41
K Jamieson	3	3	22.66	5.66

The Auckland Cricket Team is a great example of consistency, hard work, and discipline. As per their history, the Auckland cricket team is considered the best first-class team in New Zealand. They won 23 Plunket shields, 12 Ford trophies, and 4 super smash. But in the recent 3 seasons of super smash, they could not perform well. But sure enough, the Auckland Aces can make a strong recovery from its downfall in the upcoming seasons of the league. They can realize their mistakes and do something about them and come back as a true sportsman.