Only one big-name import truly shone, while a bunch of import bowlers struggled to perform above replacement-level, perhaps falling victim to the "Even the best bowlers get crushed in T20" school of thought.
Here's how all the imports fared.
Batsmen
Mahela Jayawardene (Central Districts)
The imported star of the tournament, the Sri Lankan legend played some exquisite knocks, showing perfect timing and copybook strokeplay. Jayawardene made the highest score of the competition to date with 97 against Northern Districts, and ended the round robin as the seventh highest runscorer despite playing only four games. An average of 62.25 at a top-notch strike rate of 143 is a sound return on investment for CD, who despite missing the playoffs managed to get the most out of Mahela both on and off the oval.
Aiden Blizzard (Canterbury)
Contracted by Canterbury for the early part of the campaign, the Australian opener racked up 169 runs in four games for an average of 42.25 at a very handy strike rate of 129. The Kings might be able to get him back for the finals if the Sydney Thunder release him.
Michael Hussey (Canterbury)
Hussey made an impactful 43 from 36 balls to set up the Kings' vital win over the Stags which saw them clinch the last spot for this weekend's finals in New Plymouth.
Kevin O'Brien (Northern Districts)
The Irish international got a lot of starts for the Knights but couldn't convert his openings into a much-needed match-winning innings. He averaged 18.6 and struck the ball at a strike rate of 132 but couldn't deliver on his big-hitting performances we've all seen on the international stage. The red-headed all-rounder also went at 10 an over with the ball.
Craig Cachopa (Wellington)
Craig Cachopa used to be one of the first names on any "Future Black Caps" list, but after committing his playing future to England, he now qualified as an import for Wellington. Unfortunately for the Firebirds, he couldn't find any form at all - averaging just 12.6 at a woeful strike rate of 95.
Sidenote: Can the Cachopa brothers finally stop changing provinces??? Perhaps Craig was hindered by opposing bowlers believing he was Carl. Or Brad. Or Gary. (There's no Gary Cachopa. But you wanted to believe that there was, didn't you?)
Anyway, I feel New Zealand Cricket should be obligated to send out a "Where are the Cachopa's?" press release to keep all journalists and fans in the loop.
Shane Watson (Canterbury)
Made a five-ball duck and then stood around in the field for 20 overs.
Bowlers
Jade Dernbach (Wellington)
Dernbach did his job for Wellington, taking seven wickets at 15.4, with an impressive economy of 7.2 runs per over. Unfortunately his efforts went to waste as Wellington produced some of the all-time worst individual batting displays.
(Those displays: Michael Papps making 8 from 20, Cachopa taking 18 balls to reach nine, Stephen Murdoch's 9 from 20 and Alecz Day making 38 from 49. Nothing is more debilitating in the T20 format than a slow, long innings at the top of the order.
If you've got this far, you're clearly a cricket nerd so I'll gift you the worst T20 innings in NZ history - Jamie How's 23 from 38 balls. Hard to top that effort.)
Mitch Claydon (Central Districts)
Picked up 11 wickets at 28.7 but did it an a cost - 10.2 an over. Suffered the ignominy of being a 12th man in one game but bounced back strongly.
Ben Laughlin (Northern Districts)
The Australian quick was economical but could only pick up two wickets in his short stint before departing due to injury.
Timm Van der Gugten (Northern Districts)
Laughlin's replacement, the Dutch Australian could only claim two wickets at 59, and went at an extremely expensive 11.9 per over. He wasn't selected for the must-win game against Otago on Sunday, with ND deciding to play Bay of Plenty all-rounder Brett Hampton instead. The Knights would have expected more from a player with an otherwise very solid T20 resume.
Scott Borthwick (Wellington)
The England international bowled one over which went for 11, and was run out for two from five balls in his turn at bat.
All up, this year's crop of imports provided a shaky return on investment. While Central Districts and Canterbury will be pleased with the contributions of their big-name batsmen, Otago and Auckland will be very content with their decision not to sign any overseas players.
Additionally, Northern Districts and Wellington will be left hoping that the experience of having international players in their squad outweighs the loss of gametime for their young and local prospects.
It only takes one import to provide a change in a team's fortunes however, and if New Zealand Cricket keep putting up a decent cash incentive for winning the competition, expect teams to continue to find productive, exciting imports for the foreseeable future.
