Cricket Australia Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has raced against time to save its upcoming Big Bash League 2025-26 (BBL 2025-26) season after a sudden decision to block its players from playing in the foreign T20 league.
PCB Chief Operating Officer Sumair Ahmed Syed recently announced the ban on 29 September after the Asia Cup 2025. This shocking move threw the Big Bash League in the upheaval a few weeks before the start of the tournament in December.
PCB’s ban threatens to derail Big Bash League 2025-26
It is being said that PCB wants to strengthen its domestic competitions in Pakistan, and that is why they took a tough decision. The move has shocked the Australian clubs as Pakistani stars have always been crowded in BBL.
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Large names like Babar Azam (Sydney Sixers), Shaheen Afridi (Brisbane Heat), and Mohammad Rizwan (Melbourne Renegade) were expected to rule the headlines in the upcoming season after being raised during an high anticipated draft earlier this year.
Cricket Australia in a conversation with PCB to bring Pakistan’s stars back to BBL
The absence of Pakistan’s top stars can greatly affect the team’s strategies, sponsorship deals and ticket sales, scratching Cricket Australia and BBL organizers to solve.
However, Cricket Australia’s boss Todd Greenberg is personally in conversation with PCB, and he is firm to find a solution to bring the players back to the tournament.
Todd Greenberg was quoted by a news wire saying: “We are in touch with our colleagues in PCB in the last few days; We hope we can find a resolution. We are really eager to welcome our players to the Big Bash;
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BBL gets a big boost as Ravichandran Ashwin joins Sydney Thunder
Meanwhile, the Big Bash League received a very important boost with the signature of Indian all -rounder Ravichandran Ashwin. Sydney Thunder planted in Ashwin for the upcoming season.
Speaking on Ashwin’s signature, Greenberg said, “We have received provisions where we can do the work, and all the clubs had a similar opportunity to join him.
The veteran off-spinner’s BBL will be one of the main attraction of the debut season, whenever he takes the field in the tournament, the record-breaking predicts the crowd.
Our fans are really going to enjoy seeing Ashwin Play: CA Boss
The boss of Cricket Australia signed, saying, “I have found him a breath of fresh air; I think our fans are really enjoying watching and confusing him when he is here for BBL. He will probably attract a huge crowd from 23,000 (Angi Stadium’s capacity), but I think we are far away for some big stadium.”
However, the deadlock with PCB is the biggest headache for Cricket Australia and BBL organizers. If a resolution does not reach soon, the Australian clubs may be forced to look for the final-finish replacement. Fans, who were eager to see the choice of Babur, Shaheen and Rizwan, would be disappointed, and BBL may lose some of its international appeals.
