Two T20 franchises to merge as external investment nears

The two Australian Big Bash franchises based in Melbourne are to merge as private equity interest in the T20 league intensifies.

The eight Big Bash teams are ripe for overseas picking amid a global interest in cricket driven by the United States and India, though not all Australian states voted in favour of selling up en masse like in England’s The Hundred last year.

That said, it appears Victoria – according to SEN – are set to merge the Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades into a super franchise and sell off the second license to the highest bidder.

There have been reports in recent weeks that investment talk had intensified across Australia following the multi-billion dollar sale of the Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League.

Industry insiders have told City AM to expect movement across the Big Bash in the coming months.

Major T20 shift

The Melbourne Bushrangers has been touted as a potential franchise name, while staff were told on Tuesday that the merger would take place. James Rosengarten, formerly a Renegades bigwig, will be the new general manager of the merged Victoria team.

The move will likely see the team play at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, while any sale of a second licence does not necessarily mean Victoria will remain host of two franchises.

The news comes as Australia looks to battle against the likes of the South African SA20 league, which shares the same operational window, for player talent.

And new leagues centred around the likes of the United States are attracting major talent too.

It led to the Adelaide Oval in April exploring plans to host a regular-season Indian Premier League match in South Australia.

There have also been reports about a Big Bash match being staged in Chennai, home of the Chennai Super Kings, which owns the Joburg Super Kings in SA20 and Texas Super Kings in Major League Cricket.