As per reports in the Sydney Morning Herald, Cricket Australia has been asked to privatise the Big Bash League (BBL) clubs in the near future. The update stems from a review by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) who have advised CA to consider privatising the clubs in the future.
The news comes on the back of ECB selling the different teams in The Hundred Tournament to IPL franchises in the recent past.
So far, the different BBL franchises were owned by Cricket Australia and the different states, after which the teams were named. They did not follow the privatisation approach as some of the other leagues did like the ILT20, SA20, MLC T20, among others.
Major Changes Expected In BBL After Proposed Privatisation
Cricket Australia did not consider privatising the Big Bash League as they were able to schedule the tournament alongside the home Test season. While the previous schedule helped the broadcasters Seven and Foxtel, privatisation of the league will mean that their private owners will demand a separate window for the tournament, which will then not overlap with the Australian summer. Privatisation will also mean that the Australian Test players can play the entire tournament, which will then need rescheduling of the home season.
Meanwhile, the BCG report was reviewed by CA chair Mike Baird and the chairs of the six states via video conference on Monday afternoon, as per sources close to the consulting group. The report stated that while the BBL comes across as a stable league, it lacks the star power and the revenue backup as compared to some of the other established leagues across the globe. One of the other reasons behind this step taken is to bring the league closer to the market and improve its relevance, along with some of the other leagues like the IPL, SA20 and ILT20.
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BBL Privatisation To Attract Star Players, Invest In Grassroot Cricket
The report further stated that the privatisation of the league will allow them to pay higher salaries to the players and attract them to play in the league. As of now, none of the Indian players from the men’s team have played the league as the BCCI have not allowed them to play in any overseas cricket league apart from the IPL. Privatisation will also allow the league to fund for the improvement of grassroot cricket in Australia.
The BCG report was praised by both Cricket Australia and the six state association representatives. However, the road ahead in making the BBL a private league is yet to be decided.
