The Big Bash League (BBL) is one of the oldest franchise tournaments after the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL). BBL is a franchise league organized by Cricket Australia. The tournament involves eight city-based franchises and is held between December and February every year. BBL was started in 2011, three years after the start of IPL in India.
Over the past few years, major T20 leagues have grown in Australia and players from all over the world love to participate in this tournament. It has produced many young cricketers for the Australia national cricket team. Perth Scorchers is the most successful franchise in the tournament with 6 titles in 15 years. The Scorchers are also the defending champions of the BBL 2025/26 season.
BBL in India?
Now, Cricket Australia is planning to expand the tournament. They are considering hosting the first Big Bash match of the next season not in Sydney, Melbourne or Auckland, but in India. CA believes that the lucrative Indian market will help the Big Bash grow and become more popular around the world, as the IPL has garnered a huge fan following.
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The tournament organizers are planning to sell at least two of their eight franchises in the coming years. As SEN’s Tom Morris reports, two top administrative members of Cricket Australia recently visited India to study the possibility of hosting a normal match, possibly in Chennai around December 12. Everyone knows about the fan following of Chennai Super Kings and the support the franchise receives from all over the world.
Perth Scorchers will play in Chennai
Head of business operations Phil Rigby and head of competition development and strategy Margot Harley flew to India to explore the possibility of an offshore game in Chennai. However nothing is official at the moment, and no BBL clubs have been formally informed. However, defending champions Perth Scorchers seem to be the most obvious franchise to play in India.
The reason for this is the Scorchers’ time zone, WACA officials’ desire to seek financial gain from wealthy Indian business figures. Other franchises are aware that the BBL management is planning to host a game in India. However the deal is not yet complete as it will require approvals and funding from various stakeholders including broadcasters and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
CA is trying to generate revenue by hosting games in India
Cricket Australia is focusing on the Indian market, and key figures believe a match at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium will help grow the game in the same way rugby league has expanded to Las Vegas. The Jolimont headquarters is also planning a Christmas Day cricket match later this year.
The idea of ​​hosting a cricket match at the Jolimont headquarters is only in the early stages, as it has never been adopted during the tournament’s 15 seasons, despite the fact that the agreement between the players and the governing body currently enables the derby to be held on 25 December. It will be interesting to see if CA executes the plan they are thinking of.
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