Kavya Maran and Ambanis in frame. PC- AFP
As the Indian Premier League (IPL) has become a massive, lucrative cricketing tournament, all the other countries want to have their own IPL. Thus, the owners of the Indian extravaganza regularly receive offers to expand their franchise.
IPL owners have been widely expanding their franchise business across the globe, with the Kavya Maran-led Sun Group (Sunrisers Hyderabad) & Ambani Family's Reliance Industries (Mumbai Indians) rapidly growing.
With the Big Bash League (BBL) set to approve a privatisation model at a state chairs this month, a couple of IPL owners have shown interest in buying an Australian franchise.
CA to merge both BBL's Melbourne clubs
On Tuesday, the Cricket Victoria (CV) was reported to bring their BBL clubs, the Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades, under one umbrella ahead of the upcoming season.
A top Australian journalist, Tom Morris, broke the news, revealing the massive revamp of the BBL, as the Melbourne derby is one of the most thrilling in the competition.
“Today was the end of the @StarsBBL and the @RenegadesBBL as we know them. Staff were informed the Stars & the Renegades are merging into one brand new Victorian franchise to play at the MCG & likely wear navy blue. The club will be called the Melbourne (insert nickname), but it won't be the Stars. Cricket Victoria has committed to selling its second license entirely,” Morris posted on X.
Also Read: Ishan Kishan To Replace Pat Cummins As Permanent SRH Captain For IPL 2027
BBL privatisation linked to Melbourne merger?
If reports from ESPNcricinfo are to be believed, the Melbourne merger has opened a space to bring in an IPL owner, only if CA approves the privatisation, which is highly likely.
"Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades will merge under a new name this season after Cricket Victoria's (CV) board confirmed they would sell their second Big Bash franchise license in full to a private investor as soon as Cricket Australia (CA) invite privatisation into the competition," the report from ESPNcricinfo stated.
"CV is understood to be open to selling the second Melbourne club to an IPL owner, with several understood to have expressed interest already."
Furthermore, a report from T20 Tracker reveals that the Sun Group and the Reliance Group, two of the major team owners in the franchise ecosystem, are more than interested in buying the other Melbourne-based franchise.
The news about the Melbourne merger coming in the weeks before CA sits with the state board over the BBL privatisation discussion can be seen as lining up with IPL owners, who may be highly interested in a team with a home ground at the MCG.
Kavya Maran, Ambanis top franchise bosses
Kavya Maran's Sun Group and the Reliance Group are among the fastest-growing franchise owners in the cricketing fraternity.
Apart from SRH, Maran owns the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in SA20 and the Hundred's Sunrisers Leeds. Meanwhile, the Ambanis have teams in MCL and ILT20 apart from the IPL, the Hundred and SA20.
BBL eyeing for Indian blessing
The upcoming season of BBL is still months away, but Cricket Australia is looking to leave no stone unturned to make it a major hit.
Last season, it welcomed Pakistani players, attracting massive eyeballs from the subcontinent. However, the Australian board has decided to hit a home run this season by hosting the first game of the BBL 2027/28 in Chennai to tap onto the Indian audiences.
Also Read: BCCI Adds IPL Flop To Team India Squad In A Surprising Move
