Northern Districts is the defending champion | PHOTOSPORT

Surprises in Plunket Shield squad news

Posted Friday, 27 February, 2026 in Domestic News

The team news is in and first-class debuts are a possibility as the Plunket Shield national first-class championship resumes this Saturday in Christchurch, Napier and Auckland.

It's round five of the eight-round championship and there's no time to lose as the jostling contenders look to gain ground on the tight table before it's too late.

Only nine points separate the top five teams, a maximum of 20 points available to each team per round.

All the four-day matches are free admission with livescores and a free livestream at www.nzc.nz. NZC YouTube and on the NZC app from 10.30am.

Check out all the old favourites and fresh faces in the squads news below.

Points at a glance (number of wins)

49  Auckland Aces (2)
48  Canterbury (2)
47  Northern Districts (2)
40  Central Stags (2)
40  Otago (1)
18  Wellington Firebirds (0)

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