Australia’s Big Bash League opener to be staged in India for the first time
Australia’s Big Bash League is to become the first foreign T20 franchise league to play in India with the opening fixture of the 2025-26 campaign to be staged in Chennai.
The reigning champions Perth Scorchers will take on Melbourne Renegades, the designated ‘home’ team, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium — more normally home to the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) — on December 12.
The announcement of the fixture was delivered at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on the final day of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s winter visit to Australia, where he met with his counterpart Anthony Albanese. The two governments had been involved in arranging the game, with cricket seen as a means of strengthening the relationship between the countries.
“I am excited to expand co-operation with India on sport, which not only brings joy to Australians but boosts trade, tourism and investment,” Albanese told reporters.
The move, while a one-off deal, could potentially pave the way for an IPL fixture to be held in Australia if the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) ever decide to take the world’s most popular and lucrative T20 league abroad.
Perth Scorchers celebrate winning the 2026 BBL final (Janelle St Pierre/Getty Images)
Cricket Australia anticipate the Renegades-Scorchers game will be a 35,000 sell-out and, given it will be broadcast in India by JioStar, it is likely to be the most watched game in BBL history.
“Our sport has such an authentic connection in India,” said Alistair Dobson, Cricket Australia’s general manager of Big Bash Leagues. “This game is also part of a much bigger initiative across both our governments and shows that cricket is a connector for both our countries, and that both the Australian and Indian governments see that and want to be part of it.
“We’re hugely excited by the opportunity and we expect the match will be the most-watched game in Australian domestic league history for any sport. We’re grateful for the support of the Australian government and the Centre for Australia-India Relations in helping bring this historic match to life.”
The BBL, launched by Cricket Australia in 2011, will join a growing trend in global sports where national competitions are seeking greater exposure by venturing out into overseas markets. The NFL and NBA have both taken games abroad, while the English Premier League — who have previously discussed staging “meaningful matches” in other countries — sees clubs venture around the globe in pre-season, often playing in front of capacity crowds.
No regular-season league matches in European football have previously been staged abroad, but Italy’s Serie A and La Liga, the top division of Spanish football, both had intended to do so last season. Those plans have yet to come to fruition.
Cricket Australia, the country’s six state teams and the Australian Cricketers’ Association continue to explore whether to allow private investment into BBL clubs in an effort to improve competition and boost finances. Indeed, a year ago, Cricket Australia announced it had commissioned a report from Boston Consulting Group into the BBL and its future, with a move towards private ownership among its recommendations.
Sources with knowledge of the situation, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, told The Athletic in December that IPL franchises would be hugely interested in buying stakes in BBL franchises, just as they were in England’s The Hundred.
However, there is some resistance in Australia at the prospect of ceding control to IPL franchises who have already accumulated clubs across England, South Africa, the West Indies, the United Arab Emirates and in the United States via Major League Cricket.