Former Australian great Adam Gilchrist has left a controversial opinion on the inclusion of foreign investors in the Cricket Australia-owned Big Bash League. The legend feels that this will not improve its situation in any way or create a passion within the fans to follow it.
The Big Bash League is one of the oldest cricket leagues in the world, and despite its world-class status, the league remains largely restricted to Australian cricketers. To gain more attention around the world, Cricket Australia decided to bring global investors on board.
One of the main ideas behind this was that investors could attract the attention of big players who offer substantial money, like the SA20 and ILT20, which are now big names because of the money, keeping aside the IPL, which is the most commercially profitable league in the world.
Cricket Australia keeping BBL privatization on track
The idea of privatizing a cricket league is not a first for any board, as the ECB had completely privatized teams in The Hundred. Several Indian and American investors have bought stakes in the participating teams, and from the upcoming season, it will be a privately owned league with the ECB as the governing body. Cricket Australia also wants a similar role.
This restructuring will also mark a major change in the window of the BBL, which could avoid its potential clash with many other tournaments and cricket leagues as well as international matches. Additionally, Cricket Australia has kept its plans on track, as it believes the money received from the stake sale can be saved to support the financial sustainability of the league in the long term.
Adam Gilchrist criticizes CA over possibility of private ownership in BBL
Although many cricketers, be they former cricketers like Shane Watson or current players like Usman Khawaja, have supported the idea of privatisation, many Australian greats like Adam Gilchrist have considered it trivial.
Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist, one of the country’s greatest cricketing minds, believes the level of the league will not improve with the use of foreign money alone.
On the possibility of private ownership in the BBL, Adam Gilchrist said, “I don’t know if pumping… perhaps Indian money into the competition or money going out of the UAE would lift it up and create a passion for the fans to follow it.”
Do you agree with Adam Gilchrist’s views about the possibility of private ownership in the BBL? #Cricket pic.twitter.com/OxdwDfmW7P
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CA blocks several Indian-owned teams in BBL
Amidst all this, Cricket Australia has proposed a central idea of not selling more than 3 teams to the Indian owners, as they would like to attract some attention from the American brands as well as UAE brands. In recent times, it has become common for Indian brands like Hundred, SA20, MLC and ILT20 to invest extensively in foreign leagues.
Furthermore, another point of concern would be whether Indian owners would actually allow their teams to select players from rival country Pakistan. This concern has recently emerged in the Hundred for its upcoming season. However, CA hopes that the Indian investment will prompt the BCCI to consider letting its players play in the BBL, which is highly unlikely to happen.
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