Melbourne Renegades will face defending champions Perth Scorchers in Chennai on December 12 to launch the 2026-27 BBL season with the tournament's first game overseas, and Cricket Australia (CA) are hopeful it could lay the groundwork for hosting an IPL game in the future if the BCCI took any offshore.
The match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, home of Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, is penciled in to start at 2.40pm local time, which will be 8.10pm AEST, to run directly after the fourth day's play in the first Test against New Zealand in Perth, although that timing does create the risk of some overlap if the Test is still ongoing. It will count as a home game for Renegades.
The fixture, which is currently a one-off deal, was officially announced at the MCG on Friday at an event attended by the Prime Ministers of Australia and India, Anthony Albanese and Narendra Modi, respectively. The two governments have been involved in securing the fixture, which has been partly funded by a grant from the Centre of Australia-India Relations, and is among a week of activities promoting links between the two countries. CA will also provide funding but will look for specific commercial opportunities around the event.
"There's certainly been interest from time to time at state government level and at venue level, and with some of our clubs to imagine what that could look like bringing an IPL game out here," Alistair Dobson, executive general manager of Big Bash Leagues, said. "The IPL's next level, isn't it, - and it would bring an amazing connection. We've seen already the hype around an NFL game in Melbourne.
"It's not necessarily connected to this event or this initiative, but the opportunity to have those discussions when the time's right, I'm sure we'd be open to that, as would everyone across Australian cricket, because the IPL's got a huge following already in Australia."
Other than the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) previously hosting games in Florida, T20 leagues have not gone outside of their country or region unless forced to. The IPL has been hosted in South Africa and the UAE in the past due to clashes with elections and during the Covid-19 pandemic, while the PSL used the UAE until Pakistan was viable again.
The Renegades and Scorchers squads will fly to India straight after the sixth round of Sheffield Shield matches finish on December 6, meaning players involved in that competition will have around four days to prepare on the ground in Chennai. Both teams will then have an extended gap before their second fixture on returning to Australia, with the full BBL schedule to be announced next week.
"There's a lot of work to be done," Dobson said. "As you can imagine, taking any sporting event overseas is a challenge. Taking a cricket game is complex, but we're going into a market that we know loves the game and puts on big cricket events every day of the week."
CA had initial interest from across the BBL but did not receive official proposals from all clubs. Renegades, who may only exist for one more season with Cricket Victoria wanting to sell the license if privatisation is approved, are between home venues for after deals with Marvel Stadium and Geelong expired, although they confirmed on Friday they would use the MCG. Scorchers, meanwhile, have some travel advantage from the west coast, although it is still a significant journey.
"Obviously, the opportunity to get a home game into a different market is always the starting point," Dobson said. "The Renegades this year, in particular, had the flexibility to be able to do that. [Deciding the teams] was a combination of factors, including scheduling and different commercial considerations and then the opportunity with different playing groups to be part of that game.
"Fitting this game into a hectic BBL schedule and for those teams to be able to travel back and return back to Australia and continue on a successful BBL campaign was important. The scheduling part was probably front of mind."
While both Renegades (Cricket Victoria) and Scorchers (Western Australia) are from states that are in favour of privatisation, those views did not factor into determining the fixture, with this event viewed separately from the ongoing debates - although it's clearly an opportunity for their brands to be further exposed to the India market.
"I think the opportunity for any of our clubs and players to be in India and playing 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 in a different market. It was an opportunity for them that was an obvious fit, and they'll take that chance while they continue to grow."
Mid-December comes towards the end of Chennai's monsoon season, but it's viewed as a manageable risk. There won't be a reserve day for the match, although it's understood CA is considering whether to allow for more extra time than is the case in Australia to try and ensure a complete game if there are interruptions.
CA are setting their ambitions high for a crowd, hoping to push for a sellout at a ground that holds 35,000 people. Ticket prices will be confirmed in the coming weeks. The full list of players taking part won't be known until squads are completed later this year, but Scorchers should feature Australia T20I captain Mitchell Marsh and allrounder Cooper Connolly. They could also include Josh Inglis and Jhye Richardson if they aren't on Test duty.
"We know they're incredibly passionate cricket fans all over India, but particularly in Chennai," Dobson said. "Everyone we've spoken to has been really optimistic that we should expect a good crowd. What has become clear to us as we've built this event out is just how popular the BBL already is in India. Sometimes we can perhaps not realise that or forget that.
"It's got nothing on the IPL, obviously, but the BBL is well-liked and respected, so 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. We want people in Australia watching on the TV to see that looking like a BBL game, but we also want people in Chennai and throughout India to get the unique BBL experience, whether that's the colour and the crowd and the great cricket and all the noise that comes with a BBL game. That's our primary focus."
TJ Srinivasaraj, President of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA), said: "The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association is privileged to partner with Cricket Australia in this landmark occasion of staging the first-ever Big Bash League match in India. This historic event reflects the spirit of collaboration between our organisations, and underscores our shared commitment to delivering cricket at the highest international standards."
In Australian sport, the NRL takes their opening weekend to Las Vegas, although that season is played across a much larger window than the six-week BBL, while AFL chief executive Andrew Dillion recently visited India with the competition exploring opportunities in the country.