{"id":171951,"date":"2026-05-24T22:52:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T04:22:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=171951"},"modified":"2026-05-24T22:52:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T04:22:26","slug":"australia-cricket-split-over-big-bash-league-future-after-selloff-plan-stalls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=171951","title":{"rendered":"Australia cricket split over Big Bash League future after selloff plan stalls"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

As Twenty20 cricket competitions explode around the world, Australia\u2019s Big Bash League is struggling to chart a vision for the future, after plans to privatise its franchises stalled.<\/p>\n

Cricket Australia chief Todd Greenberg is adamant that outside investment is necessary to shore up the game\u2019s financial future and keep pace with a boom in other well-funded leagues played in a similar time slot.<\/p>\n

They include the UAE\u2019s ILT20, South Africa\u2019s SA20, and New Zealand\u2019s privately-backed NZ20 scheduled to start in December 2027, all bidding for the best local and overseas players.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf those salary caps (of other leagues) are significantly higher than ours over the coming years, and players can earn more in those areas, then players will follow those. That\u2019s a real risk to us,\u201d Greenberg told local media.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to make sure that for Australian cricket, our ambition is to have a league that runs at the key part of the year for us, which is the December-January window, and it\u2019s the best T20 league in the world at that moment in time.<\/p>\n

Also read | BCCI, foreign boards need to align on overseas players\u2019 availability through IPL: PBKS co-owner Mohit<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cTo do that, we have to have a significant amount of money in our salary caps to attract not only the best players from overseas, but to retain and attract our own best players.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cThe concept of bringing private capital to cricket is inevitable at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n

While not a direct competitor as it runs in a different window, the benchmark Indian Premier League has seen massive success thanks to wealthy benefactors, with England\u2019s The Hundred also on a roll after an influx of private capital.<\/p>\n

But it is a thorny issue in Australia with an initial proposal to sell stakes in each of BBL\u2019s eight teams stalling last month amid concerns about a loss of control for the game\u2019s local custodians.<\/p>\n

While the Victorian, Western Australian and Tasmanian cricket associations voiced support and South Australia said it was open to the idea, New South Wales and Queensland rejected the move.<\/p>\n

Queensland Cricket, which controls the Brisbane Heat, said it was worried about player payments skyrocketing to unsustainable levels, and that private owners may not be as invested in the grassroots game.<\/p>\n

Cricket NSW, which operates the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder, was similarly concerned that it could be detrimental to how the sport is governed and how local players are produced.<\/p>\n

– \u2018Sugar hit\u2019 –<\/b><\/p>\n

There are also fears about an Indian takeover, with the most likely buyers seen as the rich IPL team owners who have invested in other short-form competitions around the globe.<\/p>\n

Former Australian captain Greg Chappell is in the \u201cNo\u201d camp, arguing that the BBL belongs to the states and communities that have built it into a successful and well-attended product.<\/p>\n

While acknowledging the commercial realities, he said selling it off was not the answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe moment you introduce private ownership at scale, you introduce a set of priorities that may not always align with the long-term health of the game,\u201d he wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrivate investors, however well-intentioned, answer to shareholders, not to Australian cricket.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew Jones, a former head of strategy at Cricket Australia who was instrumental in the launch of the BBL, is similarly unconvinced.<\/p>\n

\u201cA one-off sale is a sugar hit, not a solution,\u201d he said in The Australian newspaper, arguing that revenues can be better grown through sponsorships, wagering, ticketing and more focus on commercialising the women\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

Despite scepticism, Greenberg remains confident and is now eyeing a hybrid ownership model.<\/p>\n

This would allow the BBL franchises keen to sell stakes to do so while allowing those against to maintain complete ownership.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we end up not going together at the same time, can we still extract the same level of revenue, and can we extract the same level of value?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we can, but I\u2019ve got to do the work to satisfy a recommendation that would ultimately go to the members and our board.\u201d<\/p>\n

Published on May 24, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Twenty20 cricket competitions explode around the world, Australia\u2019s Big Bash League is struggling to chart a vision for the future, after plans to privatise its franchises stalled. Cricket Australia…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":171952,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-171951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779682947_GettyImages-2258077032.jpg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":176580,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=176580","url_meta":{"origin":171951,"position":0},"title":"Big Bash League \u2014 Plan to merge BBL\u2019s Melbourne teams sparks \u2018anxiety\u2019 for players","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 3, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Melbourne\u2019s two Big Bash League sides \u2014 the Stars and the Renegades \u2014 are set to merge into a single T20 franchise, but the move has sparked \u201cconfusion, uncertainty and anxiety\u201d among players. Cricket Victoria\u2019s plan unveiled Wednesday will see the Melbourne Stars retained by the state governing body but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/hykvg-australia__24_.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/hykvg-australia__24_.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/hykvg-australia__24_.JPG?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/hykvg-australia__24_.JPG?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/hykvg-australia__24_.JPG?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":172886,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=172886","url_meta":{"origin":171951,"position":1},"title":"Meg Lanning turns freelancer, opts out of Victoria state contract","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"May 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Meg Lanning has opted out of her state contract with Victoria for the 2026-27 season. This effectively means the decorated former Australian captain will now only feature in franchise cricket. 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