About

The Northern Districts men's cricket team are one of six New Zealand first-class cricket teams that make up New Zealand Cricket. They are based in the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand (excluding Auckland). They compete in the Plunket Shield first-class competition, the Ford Trophy domestic one-day competition and the Men's Super Smash T20 competition as the Northern Brave. The T20 team was previously known as the Northern Knights until the 2021–22 season, when both the men's and women's teams were rebranded under the same name. Northern Districts, the last of the six current teams to attain first-class status, joined the Plunket Shield competition in 1956–57. The six district associations that make up Northern Districts are the Northland Cricket Association, Counties Manukau Cricket Association, Waikato Valley Cricket, Hamilton Cricket Association, Bay of Plenty Cricket and Poverty Bay Cricket Association.