Chris LynnImage Credit source: Getty Images

The scope of T20 league is expanding across the world. Since the beginning of the Indian Premier League in India, many countries have also started their own T20 leagues. Now IPL franchise owners are entering all these leagues. Its effect is now visible on the Big Bash League (BBL), the second oldest league after IPL. Along with further increasing the popularity of this league in India, Cricket Australia is going to take a big step to attract the attention of IPL franchise owners. According to reports, the Australian board is preparing to organize the first match of the next season of BBL in India.

A surprising claim is being made in the Australian media that the organizers of Australian cricket are considering taking these steps to make inroads for their league in the Indian market. According to this, instead of organizing the first match of the BBL 2026-27 season in any ground in Australia, Cricket Australia is thinking of organizing it in India. For this, two CA officials recently visited India and understood the intricacies of organizing the event in India along with other issues including logistics.

In this report of SEN, it has been told that this first match of the new season of BBL can be held at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. However, Cricket Australia has not yet given any information regarding this to all its 8 clubs. But it is believed that the first match of the current champion Perth Scorchers can be played in Chennai. A big reason for this is that the time zone of Perth located in Western Australia is similar to the Indian time. Although other clubs are aware of these efforts of CA, but only the officials of Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) seem more curious in this matter.

If this effort of Cricket Australia bears fruit, then Indian fans will get a chance to watch BBL matches before the start of IPL 2027 season. Along with this, this will be the first time when a match of a foreign league will be played in India. One reason for this initiative of Cricket Australia is its attempt to sell stake in BBL club. According to the information, the Australian board is hoping to sell stake in at least 2 out of 8 BBL clubs and is trying to attract IPL franchise owners for this. Recently, IPL franchise owners had bought stakes in some teams in England's 'The Hundred'.