The Australian Cricketers’ Association has pressed pause on Cricket Australia’s push to sell stakes in Big Bash League clubs, telling players it “cannot consider accepting what is in front of us”.
In an email circulated on Sunday evening—less than 24 hours before CA’s board was due to brief state chairs on the next steps—ACA chief executive Paul Marsh set out the union’s position. The correspondence, seen by this publication, opens bluntly: “Australian cricket is not currently united on the right path to privatisation … In particular, the recent upheaval around Cricket Victoria’s proposed sale of the [Melbourne] Renegades and merger with the [Melbourne] Stars reinforces our view that the game is not yet aligned on an approach that will deliver the appropriate value in the privatisation process.”
Marsh’s note comes at a sensitive moment. CA wants state associations to decide whether they will seek private investment in their BBL teams; even divergent approaches would be permissible under the model. However, any sale requires ACA sign-off because players’ commercial rights sit inside the collective Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). And the union is not budging.
“ACA continues to believe privatisation can work. However, CA’s current MOU proposal to us does not improve on the existing player revenue share arrangement, does not provide for salary increases for all player cohorts, and fails to address the broader priorities players presented to CA. Until CA’s offer improves we cannot consider accepting what is in front of us,” Marsh wrote.
He underlined the impasse a second time: “We are not aligned with the current direction of the process or the proposed MOU. We do not believe it will deliver the best outcome for the game or players.”
The email ends with a call for patience. “With privatisation unable to proceed without ACA agreement, our plan from here is to continue working with CA and the States to address the above issues so we can work towards a deal that is good for both players and the game. It is likely this will take some time and we ask players to be patient as we do this. Given that any sale of these teams is forever, we need to get this right, now.”
Why the sticking point? Money remains central. Under the current salary structure, top Australian BBL players earn up to AU$200,000 less per season than imported stars. CA argues that external capital would allow clubs to bridge that gap and keep local talent at home. Chief executive Todd Greenberg has repeatedly said competitive pay is a core objective of the privatisation drive.
The ACA is not convinced the present draft does enough. It believes a revised revenue-share model can be negotiated without immediately off-loading equity. Behind the scenes, union representatives are also exploring interim tweaks to both WBBL and BBL payment bands for the upcoming summer.
Players at the Stars and Renegades will meet ACA officials later this week to unpack Cricket Victoria’s proposed merger—a plan now unlikely to progress in its current form. The broader conversation, though, is far from over. As one state administrator quietly admitted on Monday morning, “no-one wants to be the first to jump without knowing the landing”.
For now, CA’s privatisation timeline has slipped. A revised offer, or a fresh negotiating strategy, will be required before the project can move beyond the concept stage.
