Melbourne’s two Big Bash clubs appear set for at least one more summer after a fortnight that has generated more questions than answers about the competition’s future.
On Monday the state chairs backed – “in principle” – a hybrid ownership model that would allow each state to decide whether to sell equity in its BBL teams. The catch is that nothing progresses without the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) agreeing to a revised pay structure, and talks with the players’ union have only just begun.
Cricket Victoria caused uproar this month by folding the Stars and Renegades’ off-field operations into a single entity before Cricket Australia (CA) had voted on any privatisation plan. Victoria have even lodged trade-mark applications for three replacement names – Rangers, Blazers and Magic – and have pledged to sell 100 per cent of their second licence. Yet officials now concede there is a strong chance the Stars brand will survive the 2026-27 season, while the Renegades could be run under temporary management fronted by former Stars general manager Max Abbott and funded by Victoria.
Sources involved in this week’s meetings say there is optimism that a deal, including ACA sign-off, could be sketched out inside a month and that clubs might test the market for investors by October. Others are sceptical, pointing out that major commercial negotiations rarely move so briskly in Australian cricket.
The ACA’s stance is pivotal. Before Monday’s vote chief executive Paul Marsh emailed players to say the union would not endorse privatisation under the model then on the table. Domestic cricketers remain frustrated that some overseas signings receive guaranteed sums well above the local salary cap, and the union is seeking a larger slice of the revenue share outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding – 30 per cent, up from the present 27.5. CA is resisting that jump. Todd Greenberg, the CA chief executive who previously headed the ACA, must now bridge a gap he knows all too well.
Privatisation is only part of the story. CA is also expected to adjust its governance structure, while the states must decide how much control they are willing to cede. Monday’s meeting was significant because New South Wales and Queensland – both opposed to an earlier “all-in” sell-off – joined South Australia in supporting the hybrid, self-determination model. Western Australia, Tasmania and Victoria have backed the idea for months.
For the players, the immediate concern is certainty. Cricket Victoria insists playing lists will not change for 2026-27, although both squads will need topping up once the contract embargo lifts. The ACA plans to meet Stars and Renegades squads shortly to explain the merger decision and calm nerves. As one senior Renegade put it privately, “We just want to know who we’ll be playing for and what the season is going to look like.”
Despite the noisy backdrop, on-field preparations tick along. Coaches are sketching out retention targets, conditioning staff have begun off-season programmes and overseas agents are fielding early enquiries. Everyone involved knows that, merger or not, the Big Bash begins again in December and television expects a show.
Whether private equity joins that show in time remains uncertain. If the ACA can be brought onside quickly, clubs could be spruiking themselves to investors within weeks. If not, the 2026-27 campaign will roll around with the same public-sector funding model that has underpinned the league since 2011 – and the Melbourne Stars and Renegades will run out, perhaps for a final hurrah, under names fans still recognise.
For now, a weary administrator summed it up best: “Lots of moving parts, not many of them locked in yet. But the cricket itself can’t wait.”
