Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades now look almost certain to enter the 2026-27 Big Bash League, despite Cricket Victoria merging their off-field operations earlier this month – a move that startled many inside Australian cricket.
On Monday the state chairs endorsed, “in principle”, a hybrid privatisation model. Each state will be able to decide whether to sell a slice of its BBL licence, but nothing can be signed off until the Australian Cricketers’ Association is satisfied with the proposed pay structure for players. Cricket Australia is also weighing adjustments to its own governance before any sale goes ahead.
Why the sudden pause?
Victoria jumped first. Before any national vote, it moved to consolidate the two Melbourne licences and lodged trademarks for three new men’s team names – Rangers, Blazers and Magic. It has already pledged to off-load 100 per cent of what would be its second licence. Even so, administrators now accept there is “a strong chance” the Stars brand will remain for another campaign, while the Renegades could sit under short-term management led by former Stars boss Max Abbott and funded by Cricket Victoria.
Timetable trouble
Some officials believe the entire privatisation package – including a revised player-payment model – could be finalised within a month, allowing the eight clubs to test their market value by October. Others are far less optimistic. State sources in New South Wales and Queensland, both wary of an earlier all-in sell-off, doubt everything can be tied up so quickly.
Players dig in
Hours before Monday’s meeting, ACA chief executive Paul Marsh emailed players to say the union would not support the deal as framed. Domestic cricketers are particularly unhappy that several overseas signings have secured richer guaranteed contracts while the local salary cap remains flat. The ACA is pushing for the players’ share of cricket revenue to rise from 27.5 per cent to roughly 30 per cent under the next Memorandum of Understanding – a lift Cricket Australia has so far resisted. Having Todd Greenberg, once ACA boss and now CA chief executive, in the middle of talks may yet prove decisive.
Concerns inside both Melbourne squads
The ACA plans further briefings with Stars and Renegades players in the coming weeks to steady nerves ahead of pre-season. For now, lists remain intact – the merger does not force immediate player movement – but both sides still have vacancies to fill once the current contract embargo is lifted.
How the states line up
Monday’s vote marked the first time New South Wales and Queensland backed a privatisation framework, joining South Australia, which originally championed the self-determination idea. Western Australia and Tasmania have been in favour for months, while Victoria continues to drive the process from the front.
What happens next?
• ACA and CA officials meet again within a fortnight to thrash out salary-cap details.
• Lawyers begin drafting sale documents in case an October market test is deemed realistic.
• Victoria decides whether to park the re-brand for a season or press ahead regardless.
Plenty can still shift, yet for supporters in green and red the simplest takeaway is this: expect to see both the Stars and the Renegades run out at the MCG and Marvel Stadium again this summer, even if their long-term future is tangled in board-room negotiations.
