Last Updated on 2 months ago by Charbel Coorey
Cricket Australia (CA) is considering playing the first match of the 2026/27 Big Bash League (BBL) in India. That is according to SEN Cricket’s Tom Morris, who broke the news on Tuesday evening.
CA have the ambition to host the BBL season opener at Chennai’s M. A. Chidambaram Stadium. The move is believed to be part of CA’s privatisation plans for the league.
CA wish to hold BBL 2026/27 season opener in Chennai, India
According to Morris, “the bold ambition is part of a wider strategy to intertwine the lucrative Indian market with the BBL ahead of a near-certain sale for at least two of its eight franchises.
“SEN Cricket understands two senior Cricket Australia staffers travelled to India recently to investigate the possibility of a regular season BBL game being played, ideally in Chennai.”
CA CEO Todd Greenberg believes privatisation is the way forward. He is on record multiple times saying it’s vital for Australia not to fall behind.
“Change doesn’t happen in cricket without a lot of push and shove because it’s a traditional conservation approach to the sport, which is what’s beautiful about it. But geez, if you sit back and watch the world unfold around you, particularly at this moment and time, I think you’re going to get run over,” Greenberg said in a recent interview with The Grade Cricketer Podcast.
“So I’ve got this sort of concept that you want things to happen to you, or do you want them to happen with you? And my fear for us is if we aren’t in this discussion and we’re not debating the merits of bringing private capital in, you get run over in a small country like Australia.”
7 Cricket report that for the BBL match to go ahead in India, there would need to be various levels of approval.
“For it to get over the line approval would need to be given from various stakeholders, including the BCCI,” read the post on X (formerly Twitter).
With privatisation, however, comes key questions for Australia. What will it mean for the Test summer, so loved and adored by Australian cricket fans? Also, how will potential team name changes be received in a league that has been around for 15 years?
Time will tell.
