The Big Bash League will be partially privatised, the ABC reports, in what it calls one of the most significant shake-ups of Australian cricket in decades. Cricket Australia will defy the heavyweight states of New South Wales and Queensland and allow states to explore selling 49 per cent stakes in their BBL franchises.
The decision was effectively made at a Cricket Australia board meeting last week and is set to be officially green lit on Monday night, with a formal announcement expected on Tuesday — made, the ABC reports, in concert with several stars of Australian cricket, a coup given the initial pushback from the players' union.
For Melbourne, the abstract just became concrete: the process accelerated in June when Cricket Victoria pre-emptively made plans to sell the Melbourne Renegades, while retaining the Melbourne Stars licence. One of this city's two Big Bash teams is already positioned for the shop window that just opened.
Three states for, two against, one lukewarm
Victoria backed the plan alongside Tasmania and Western Australia, and the approval allows states to begin a market sounding process for their 49 per cent sales. New South Wales and Queensland remain opposed — New South Wales has long held that an injection of private equity would largely amount to a sugar hit, and that broader structural reform is what Cricket Australia's long-term financial viability actually needs. South Australia is lukewarm but more open to the idea than either of the objectors. Cricket New South Wales has been contacted for comment by the ABC.
Cricket Australia's case is about the competition: privatisation, it believes, will let the BBL keep pace with rival leagues around the world, with the proceeds spread throughout the broader Australian cricket ecosystem. Chief executive Todd Greenberg has previously called private investment in the league "inevitable", warning that waiting too long could mean "we've missed the boat" as more competitions pop up around the world.
The players' price
The Australian Cricketers' Association says it supports privatisation as long as the long-term interests of the game are protected — but several details are still to be ironed out, and the union has argued, among other things, for a greater share of revenue for its players. How big a slice the players receive will keep being negotiated, and will form part of a new memorandum of understanding between the union and Cricket Australia.
The timeline is brisk. Transactions could be complete before the start of next season; prospective international team owners are likely to be courted across the coming summer, with potential buyers expected in Australia to run their eyes over this year's BBL tournament. Several state chief executives have already travelled to India and the United Kingdom to connect with prospective buyers, ahead of the formal approval.
Which means this summer's Renegades games double as something else entirely: an inspection. The people in the stands may include the future part-owners of the team on the field.
