BBL’s first overseas match locked in as details of landmark blockbuster revealed

Cricket Australia has confirmed next summer’s Big Bash League opener will take place in Chennai, with the Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers set to play at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday, December 12.

Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese announced the landmark fixture while speaking to reporters at the MCG on Friday, forming the centrepiece of a wider initiative to build ties between the two nations called ‘G’day Namaste’.

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The fixture, partly supported by the Centre for Australia-India Relations through a Maitri grant, will be a mid-afternoon match in Chennai, commencing at 8.10pm AEDT (2.40pm local time) following the end of day four of the Test series opener between Australia and New Zealand at Perth Stadium.

It will be the first overseas fixture in Big Bash history, with Foxtel and streaming platform Kayo Sports showing the match live and ad-break free, while JioStar will broadcast the game to millions of viewers in India. It is expected to be the most-watched game in Australian domestic sports league history.

MA Chidambaram Stadium, home of the Chennai Super Kings, has a capacity of around 38,000, and CA hopes to attract a bumper crowd for the match.

“We know they’re incredibly passionate cricket fans all over India, but particularly in Chennai. Everyone we’ve spoken to has been really optimistic that we should expect a good crowd,” Alistair Dobson, CA’s executive general manager of Big Bash Leagues, told reporters.

“What has become clear to us as we’ve built this event out is just how popular the BBL already is in India. It’s got nothing on the IPL, obviously, but the BBL is well-liked and respected.

“We can’t wait to see all the fans turn out, albeit I suspect there’ll be a fair chunk of yellow in the crowd.”

Chennai is prone to flooding and heavy showers in December, near the end of the area’s monsoon season, with CA exploring options to update the playing conditions and extend the cut-off time should weather intervene.

The match, which takes place six days after the sixth round of the Sheffield Shield, will serve as a ‘home’ game for the Renegades, while both teams will get adequate recovery time upon returning to Australia ahead of their second fixture. The full schedule of the BBL’s 16th season will be announced next week.

Multiple Big Bash clubs expressed their interest in participating in the blockbuster fixture, but some teams stopped short of formally applying due to concerns about the “hectic” scheduling squeeze.

“We looked across all our clubs and worked with them on what would need to be true for them to play in this game,” Dobson explained.

“It was a combination of a range of factors, including scheduling and different commercial considerations.

“Fitting this game into a hectic BBL schedule, for those teams to be able to travel back to the Australian market and continue on a successful BBL campaign was important.”

The announcement comes as Cricket Victoria looks to sell 100 per cent of its stake in the Renegades to private investors, potentially an Indian Premier League franchise, while WA Cricket has also expressed interest in privatising the Scorchers. However, Dobson denied that Big Bash privatisation was front of mind when choosing the clubs to participate in the Chennai match.

“The opportunity for any of our clubs and players to be in India and play a BBL game creates such value for their club, whether that’s now or in the future,” Dobson said.

“The Renegades are a team that have shown an interest in this event from day one, with the opportunity to take a home game to a different market. They’ll take that chance while they’re there to continue to grow.”

While CA considers the match a one-off event, they would be open to making it an annual fixture pending government approval.

“We’ve certainly been taking a one-year view on this for now,” Dobson said.

“Our focus is making sure this is a great event that’s a true reflection of the BBL.

“We’ll get through that and see how that lands and continue to work with the BCCI and others who’ve been so supportive of this initiative to see where that might go from there.”

Meanwhile, Dobson said CA would be willing to host an IPL game in Australia should the opportunity present itself in the future.

“What this initiative demonstrates is that the two countries at a cricket level, as well as a government level, are really closely connected and are willing to collaborate with each other and bring unique opportunities to life,” he said.

“There’s certainly been interest from time to time, at state government level and at venue level, bringing an IPL game out here.

“The opportunity to have those discussions when the time is right, I’m sure we’d be open to that, as would everyone across Australian cricket.”

WA Cricket chief executive John Stephenson said in a statement: “This is a genuinely historic moment for Perth Scorchers and for cricket in Western Australia. India is the heartland of global cricket, and bringing the Scorchers to that audience is an opportunity we have embraced wholeheartedly.

“We have players who already resonate deeply with Indian fans throughout their Indian Premier League experiences, and this fixture gives the whole Club an invaluable chance to connect with millions of new supporters.

“Protecting our home schedule, however, was a priority. We head to Chennai with excitement, and come home to the full suite of five regular season home games our Members and fans deserve.”

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