Cricket Australia look at taking BBL opening match to India

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Cricket Australia is exploring the possibility of taking the opening game of next season’s BBL to India, with Chennai being scoped out as a potential venue.

First reported by SEN, senior BBL executives Phil Rigby (head of business operations) and Margot Harley (head of competition development and strategy) were recently in India as part of fact-finding trip around taking a BBL match overseas. ESPNcricinfo understands they met with Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) officials and toured Chepauk stadium which is the home venue for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL.

While the idea is being pushed seriously by CA, there remain significant hurdles to overcome before it becomes a reality, not least approval from the BCCI, but also host broadcasters and the clubs.

One of the key issues to resolve would be with the BBL side that loses a home game from their season. It’s understood that should a game be taken overseas, CA could effectively buy the game off the host club to take control of the fixture. There would also be a knock-on effect to the schedule given the distances involved, and the need to give players enough preparation time beforehand. Then, players also need recovery time on their return home before their next game. Chennai is also prone to flooding in December due to the wet season.

In Australian sport, the NRL takes matches to Las Vegas to launch the rugby league season. However, that tournament is played over six months, while the BBL is completed in a seven-week window from mid-December to the end of January.

Playing BBL matches overseas has been talked about in the past, but the latest move comes at a significant time for the competition, which appears likely to open up for private investment in the near future. Indian money, and existing IPL owners, are expected to be heavily involved. There has been talk of Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Renegades – who are part of two-team cities – being sold off entirely to private investors.

R Ashwin, a former CSK player, was due to be the first India international to feature in the BBL this season, having signed for Thunder, but withdrew due to a knee injury. The BCCI do not allow active India men’s players to appear in overseas T20 leagues.

This summer’s BBL was a significant success, capped off by a record crowd of 55,018 for the final at Optus Stadium, where Perth Scorchers claimed the title. But next season faces scheduling challenges. Australia will be playing a five-Test series in India during January and February, meaning anyone featuring on that trip won’t be available to feature in the latter part of the BBL.

Steven Smith had a huge impact when he came in for Sydney Sixers this season, scoring 299 runs in six innings, including a breathtaking century at the SCG. In the same game, David Warner also struck a hundred.

The BBL operates at a congested time of the year for T20 leagues with the ILT20 and SA20 overlapping for significant periods. The Australia men’s Test home season also runs concurrently with the first part of it, until early January.

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