The Wellington Firebirds have confirmed the first round of men's domestic contracts for the upcoming season, retaining the core of their strong squad while integrating promising new talent.
With the majority of the core returning from the 2024/25 summer, the squad will be strengthened by the addition of local products Samuel Morgan and Amogh Paranjpe on new contracts.
Morgan is fresh off an impressive season in which he piled up the runs for both Upper Hutt CC and Wellington A Men, including a record-breaking 226* from 162 balls in the RobLawMax Premier Two-Day Competition. His batting acumen will bolster the Firebirds top order this summer, providing another option for explosive run-scoring in the batting unit.
Paranjpe is a right-arm seamer from Hutt District CC who was another key contributor to the Wellington Provincial A Men last season. He capped a strong bowling year with 10 wickets in the Pearce Cup Final at the Cello Basin Reserve en route to securing the red ball title for his club in the three-day final. He also logged the most overs bowled of any seamer in premier club cricket over the 2024/25 summer.
Head coach Shane Jurgensen expressed confidence in his squad's depth.
"We've kept our core strong while adding some exciting local talent,” he said.
“With our BLACKCAPS likely to come in and out of the squad throughout the season, it was important to add some top-tier local talent to our list, and we believe we have the right mix to be contending for the domestic titles this summer,” said Jurgensen.
The Firebirds boast considerable firepower in their existing squad, including established batters with international experience like Nick Kelly and Tim Robinson returning to anchor the lineup.
The bowling attack remains formidable, with international all-rounder Logan van Beek leading a bowling unit that includes Liam Dudding and Peter Younghusband - all looking to build on their strong performances from last summer's chart-topping seasons.
Throughout the season, the Firebirds will benefit from access to their six BLACKCAPS-contracted players - Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Ben Sears, Muhammad Abbas, Tom Blundell, and Michael Bracewell - when not on national duty. The squad will potentially have occasional access the services of Devon Conway and Adam Milne, who maintain Wellington associations despite not holding New Zealand Cricket contracts.
Three members of last year’s domestic list have not been included this year, as Muhammad Abbas moved to a BLACKCAPS contract, Iain McPeake retired, and Troy Johnson has moved to Otago to continue his career.
The first fifteen contracted Firebirds for 2025/26 are:
BLACKCAPS Contracted Players:
The Firebirds will announce their 16th contracted player in coming weeks as they look towards the 2025/26 summer, which will begin in early September with preseason training.
Article added: Thursday 26 June 2025