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Steve Smith (L) and Rajiv Shukla (R) (Source: X/AFP)
The BCCI has handed a big blow to Cricket Australia just a few days after the India visit of the BBL executives, Phil Rugby and Margot Harley, to explore the possibilities of a few BBL matches in India.
Rugby and Harley, alongside CA production executive Richard Ostroff, visited the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai to meet the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association officials. The official outcomes of the TNCA officials’ meeting with CA and BBL representatives have yet to be announced.
Meanwhile, the BCCI’s recent call has put the uncertainty on the hopes of BBL matches in India.
BCCI directs TNCA to stay 'non-committal' in BBL hosting conversation
A report in Sportstar states that, “The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCC) had indicated to the TNCA to ‘slow-walk’ the discussions and ‘not to commit anything’ to the CA executives.”
"A possible hitch in conducting the BBL matches in India will depend on its potential impact on the Indian Premier League (IPL), especially as the current broadcast rights cycle ends in 2027 and is up for renewal,” the report adds further.
According to the report, the ‘logistical concerns of hosting of BBL games at the home ground IPL franchise, CSK’ was the nucleus of the meeting between the Aussie contingent and the TNCA officials.
The Australian contingent was reportedly keen to understand the ticketing, security, and possible logistical requirements for hosting the matches in India’s southern city.
Other franchise leagues that moved from their home country
Notably, CA's efforts to host its home franchise league in another country are not the first of their kind. Earlier, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) did the same for their respective franchise tournaments, the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
17 years ago, in 2009, the BCCI had to shift the entire second IPL season to South Africa due to the clash of dates with the general elections in India. Later, the Pakistan Cricket Board had to host the inaugural PSL season in the UAE, as the foreign players refused to travel to Pakistan owing to the security concerns.
Later in 2020-21, the BCCI was forced to host the second half of IPL 2020 in the UAE due to the COVID-19 outbreak in India. Furthermore, the PCB had to halt the PSL midway in March 2021, followed by resuming the tournament three months later in the UAE.
Apart from this, the rising popularity and viewership of the IPL have likely played a significant role in prompting Cricket Australia to bring the BBL to India’s massive cricket market.
Nonetheless, the Indian fans will still miss the Indian players in action during the BBL games in India, as the BCCI hasn’t allowed the Indian cricketers to play in foreign franchise leagues.
Speaking of IPL’s viewership in the 2025 edition, the official broadcasters reported 253 million viewers, a 39% increase from the previous year. On the other hand, the OTT platform JioHotstar reported a 40% rise, gaining 1.37 billion viewership.
