With every other global franchise looking to expand after getting backing from Indian investors, Cricket Australia (CA) is taking a different route to make the Big Bash League (BBL) as big as the IPL.
The Australian board is taking all possible measures to make the league a hit amid growing competition from other franchise leagues. Once regarded as the biggest T20 league after the IPL, the BBL is losing ground to competitions such as SA20, ILT20 and The Hundred.
A common factor across these prominent franchise leagues is the backing they receive from IPL stakeholders. However, BBL club owners remain divided, with some expressing reservations about the prospect of their franchises being privatised.
BBL to expand to a 10-team tournament?
According to The Guardian, CA is looking to expand the Big Bash League to 10 teams — but only if controversial plans to sell some of the existing franchises are approved.
The CA board is set to meet this week determined to pursue a hybrid model under which some of the current franchises could be sold after the initial proposal for wholesale privatisation was rejected by the states in April. New South Wales and Queensland blocked the original plan, while South Australia proposed an alternative allowing individual clubs to sell stakes without compulsion.
Cricket Australia is understood to have made significant progress in gaining support for the alternative plan, although it may not put it to a board vote this week. Following board approval, the backing of four of the six states would be required to kickstart the sale process, with Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania strongly in favour.
CA has already appointed US bank Raine Group to run the sale process and has held talks with several IPL and The Hundred owners. Initial analysis is believed to place franchise valuations as high as $200 million.
The Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) has previously shown disagreement with privatisation plans. Earlier reports of a possible merger between the Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades were declined by Cricket Victoria, though the state has indicated interest in fully selling the Renegades while retaining the Stars.
Which Australian cities could get new clubs?
All of Cricket Australia’s six member organisations — New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia — already have clubs in the BBL (with two each in Sydney and Melbourne).
The non-member associations, Cricket ACT and Northern Territory Cricket, do not currently have representatives. Canberra and Darwin have long been discussed as possible expansion cities if the BBL grows to 10 teams. Other member states could also receive additional entrants.
Discussions about expansion remain at an early stage, and CA has not yet identified specific new markets.
Can BBL 2026/27 witness 10 teams?
The BBL 2026/27 season is already locked in as an eight-team, 44-match tournament running from 12 December 2026 to 26 January 2027. The curtain-raiser will be historic: Melbourne Renegades will face defending champions Perth Scorchers at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on 12 December — the first BBL match ever staged outside Australia.
Any expansion to 10 teams (and a corresponding increase for the Women’s Big Bash League) would not be possible before the 2027/28 season at the earliest.
CA’s push for private investment and potential expansion aims to keep the BBL competitive against rising global T20 leagues, but significant governance, player and state hurdles remain.
