For two months a year, the MA Chidambaram Stadium bleeds yellow for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. It has been the tradition for over 18 years. This December 12, Cricket Australia (CA) and the Big Bash League (BBL) will hope the sporting crowd paints the Chepauk stands orange and red. The reason: defending champions Perth Scorchers will take on Melbourne Renegades in the opening game of the BBL 16.
Being held for the first time outside Australian borders, BBL is well known at this point. Part of a week-long larger initiative involving the Indian and Australian governments called G’Day Namaste to be held across India in December, featuring Australian cultural, business, and sports events, the BBL fixture marks the beginning of a fascinating road forward in franchise cricket. Though the idea and talks have been in the works for close to a year, they started gaining momentum since February this year before the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) greenlit the event in May. Indian PM Narendra Modi and Australian PM Anthony Albanese eventually announced it in July.
The IPL has been hosted overseas in the past because of general elections, and the Caribbean Premier League has played games in Florida, USA, but this event marks uncharted territory for BBL or any overseas league with the cricketing market and appetite available in India. Phil Rigby, head of league operations and club growth at BBL, said that it is not a one-off event and the CA is hoping that it is the beginning of something to build on in the future. “We have got to deliver the first game first, and then we’ll worry about the future. But we definitely would like to continue to do this in the future, and those conversations will be ongoing with the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) and the BCCI,” Phil told reporters during his visit to the iconic venue on Thursday. “This isn’t just about a Big Bash game; this whole conversation started around a broader bilateral government initiative around how we can grow and strengthen the relationship between Australia and India. What’s the best way to do that? Through cricket. We’re not coming here to compete with the IPL. We’re here to share that Big Bash experience, which is very different from the IPL or other T20 leagues,” Phil explained, adding that the BCCI did not put any conditions about the participation of Pakistan players in the match.
The difference between IPL and BBL is not just about the ambience, or the fan experience, but also about playing conditions. Unlike IPL, the BBL has something called Power Surge, where for two overs fielding restrictions would be in place and the batting team could choose when to use it from the 11th over. From fans’ point of view, both general and hospitality tickets for the match, to be played at 2.30 pm IST on December 12, will go live in early October, and all operations would be handled by BBL and CA, with TNCA serving as a host. “We want to bring our authentic Big Bash experience that our fans enjoy at the MCG or SCG or anywhere else. The core elements of a Big Bash match — remember there are certain rules in a Big Bash game that are different from the IPL. No one has ever seen the Power Surge in India before. We’re bringing a brand new rule this year: our designated hitter/designated fielder rule. If you have watched on television, all those good things like the bucket heads, all the colour, and all the different moments in a game...we’ll be bringing those. Another part is also how we can really find those Chennai flavours that we can bring into the game day as well, almost paying homage to the community. Our events team is really excited about bringing that to life,” said Phil.
This also comes at a time when the BBL is looking to privatise franchises up for sale, including Renegades. There have been speculations over a potential buyer in Sunrisers Hyderabad, whose owners are also based out of Chennai. Phil explained that they are working towards taking BBL, a 15-year-old brand globally and this match in Chennai is a step towards that. “We’ve really been open around our plans regarding considering private investment or investment into clubs. Part of this initiative is clearly about growing the Big Bash brand globally. We’re already a global league, a strong league. I think the IPL and Big Bash are two of the biggest T20 competitions. We want to further grow the brand of the league and of our clubs. It provides a great opportunity for our clubs. We would expect there’s a large amount of interest from all over the world, from all types of investors who would want to be part of the Big Bash,” he signed off.