Cricket Australia hoping private owners can make BBL a cricket 'grand slam'

The Big Bash League is in an increasingly crowded market of T20 tournaments. (ABC News: Luke Bowden) Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg says private investment in the Big Bash League is "inevitable". With so many T20 leagues appearing around the world, he told the ABC Cricket Podcast waiting for too long could see Australia "miss the boat". He suggested the BBL, along with the Indian Premier League and Great Britain's Hundred competition, could form something similar to the grand slam tournaments in tennis. Link copiedShareShare articleWhen the champions of US sports are crowned, the trophy isn't handed over to the captain, or the coach or the best player. No, the league's boss takes the trophy and hands it to an old guy you may never have heard of and congratulates this billionaire on owning the team. Only then do the players, coaches and team staff get their blood, sweat and tear-soaked hands on the silverware. The scene is anathema to Australian sporting audiences. Private ownership and expansion are among the recommendations handed down to Cricket Australia as the governing body explores how to build on its Big Bash leagues. That is not to say wealthy private team benefactors do not exist in Australia — Nick Politis of the Roosters and Russell Crowe of the Rabbitohs spring to mind for NRL fans — but they tend to stay behind the scenes. But if the privatisation of Big Bash League teams goes ahead, it is the sort of thing we may need to get used to. "This might feel new in our country, bringing private capital into sports, but it's certainly not new globally. The concept of bringing private capital to cricket is inevitable at some point," Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg told the ABC Cricket Podcast. "The question will remain about when that actually happens. My view is it will happen. What we have to make sure is the levels of control are in place and you're not just taking the biggest cheque, you're looking for the right partner." The Indian Premier League has already seen galactic levels of success thanks to outside investment from the likes of Mumbai Indians owner Mukesh Ambani (worth US$96.7 billion according to Forbes) and Lucknow Super Giants boss Sanjiv Goenka (worth US$3.6 billion). Last year, Ambani and Goenka bought English teams in The Hundred in the sort of behind-the-scenes business dealing that may have gone unnoticed by most fans if not for their on-the-nose rebrands, complete with new names and logos. Manchester's decidedly un-Original logo. (Getty Images: John Phillips/ECB) The Oval Invincibles, named for the London ground where they play their home games, changed to MI London; while the Manchester Originals are now, ironically, named the same as their Indian counterparts, known as the Manchester Super Giants. Greenberg said that sort of outside investment could be required to keep the Big Bash relevant in the global cricket scene, with rival T20 competitions cropping up in South Africa, Pakistan, the Caribbean and even the United States. "Can all of these leagues survive and can they all thrive?" he asked. "I think what the future looks like is global T20 leagues will have, and I use this term loosely, a concept of a grand slam where there'll be three or four major T20 global leagues participating around the world. "Clearly the IPL's already found its niche, I think The Hundred's anchored itself into a slot, and unashamedly we want to ensure the BBL sits in that apex." Billionaire owners like the New England Patriots' Robert Kraft are no strangers to the limelight at trophy presentations. (AP: Mark Humphrey) Greenberg said that could then be spun off into a Champions League-style tournament where the winners face off in another potential money-spinning event. "We unashamedly in Australian cricket want to make sure we've got a seat at the top table," he said. "I feel like change is on the horizon. We've got to make sure we have an ability to influence that level of change." Greenberg said the league needs to be able to carve out a window in the season — ideally late December through January — where it can attract the best players from Australia and around the world, which will only happen if it can pay players competitive rates. Cricket Australia said "the time is now" for privatisation, but there has been pushback from New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia. Greenberg said if they wait for a couple of years to see how things play out, "I think we've missed the boat". ABC Sport Daily is your daily sports conversation. We dive into the biggest story of the day and get you up to speed with everything else that's making headlines. "That's not the greatest strategy in the world when the global cricket landscape is moving and it's moving at speed," he said. "The open question remains: Is our model fit for purpose in the next decade? Can we continue to attract and retain the best players … to the BBL in a market where we're u

Cricket Australia hoping private owners can make BBL a cricket 'grand slam'

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Cricket Australia hoping private owners can make BBL a cricket 'grand slam'

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