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BBL Winner Of The 2024-25 Season (Source: @BBL/x.com)
With each passing day, the shortest format of cricket is tightening its grip on the cricket world as the franchise leagues are becoming a huge part of the game. Big names of the franchise cricket like IPL, Big Bash League, and SA20 are adding more spice to the format.
For a long time, the talk of privatization of the Big Bash has been swirling on, and Cricket Australia’s CEO added fuel to that. He acknowledged that opening the doors to private ownership could elevate the BBL to become the world’s second-best T20 league, right behind the IPL.
Greenberg’s Big Vision For BBL
After IPL was introduced to the cricket world in 2008, Cricket Australia introduced the Big Bash League in 2011, and the cricket world got a new tournament to soak in the T20 thrills. But in the past few years, the privatization of the BBL has taken up the cricket world. The big move remains on hold, with Cricket Australia was keen to keep full control of its prized tournament.
In a recent BCG report, key scheduling tweaks were proposed, and soon after, Cricket Australia’s CEO, Todd Greenberg, embraced the idea of privatizing the BBL. Speaking to SEN Radio, he revealed that private investment could be the boost the league needs to become the second biggest T20 league after the IPL.
“Well, that’s certainly the vision of everyone in cricket here in this country is to make sure that we run a league and we run a T20 tournament that is sitting just beside or behind or adjacent to the IPL. It’s going to be very hard to chase the IPL, given the scale of cricket in India, but unashamedly, we want to run a league that comes second,” he said.
“And to do that, we’re going to need to make sure that player availability and player salaries are commensurate with everything else that goes on around the world, and there’s one thing you need for that, you need money, you need investment. We’d be naive if we weren’t asking ourselves these questions and making sure we’ve got an eye on what’s next,” he added.
Test Traditions To Stay Untouched
With the recent BCG report suggesting a mid-December start for the BBL, concerns have risen over the fate of Australia’s iconic Boxing Day Test. While highlighting the need for the league’s privatization, the CA CEO assured that the Test legacy will be unharmed.
“I hail from Sydney, so I’d like to return back there at one point in time. So, no, it’s certainly not on the agenda,” he said.
As there is nothing finalized about the privatization, the upcoming edition of the Prestigious Big Bash League is set to commence in December 2025. Fans are set to enjoy another season of unmissable T20 thrills.
