‘Burning the furniture to warm the house’ – Ed Cowan warns BBL privatisation could spiral out of control

Ed Cowan warns BBL privatisation could spiral out of control (Photo source: Getty Images)

Cricket Australia confirmed on September 6 that states would be permitted to explore private investment in their Big Bash League franchises under an opt-in model. The decision allows states to consider selling minority stakes or transferring complete ownership of franchises to private investors. States will be permitted to sell up to 49 per cent stakes in their BBL teams, while Cricket Australia has also invited bids for complete ownership of the Melbourne Renegades, with new ownership expected to be in place for the 2027-28 Big Bash League and Women’s Big Bash League seasons.

Ed Cowan, a Cricket NSW board member, expressed concerns about the pace and scope of the privatisation plan during an appearance on the ABC Cricket Podcast. Cowan questioned whether the urgency was justified, given the BBL’s demonstrated capacity to attract elite international talent without structural changes to ownership.

“[In previous seasons] they’ve been able to reshape scheduling, to reshape international stars and the salary cap around that. We’ve seen already there’s no friction to attracting some of the world’s best players. Ben Stokes is going to Adelaide, Finn Allen has just signed a mega deal. So the argument that is put forward is we’re gonna lose players to the South African League. We haven’t lost one yet,” said Cowan in the above mentioned source.

“There’s a view that the business could be run more effectively, which would enable some time to work out whether you actually do need to sell your star assets or not. Because when you start burning the furniture to warm the house, it can spiral quickly out of control from there,” he added.

Cricket Australia’s rationale for pursuing privatisation centres on competitive positioning. The organisation believes private investment would enable the BBL to compete more effectively with other T20 leagues globally, including The Hundred in the United Kingdom and the SA20 in South Africa. The board has framed the decision as necessary to ensure the league remains attractive to investors and players in an increasingly competitive landscape.

How states have responded to the privatisation model

The decision has divided the states. New South Wales and Queensland have remained opposed to the privatisation model, while Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia have expressed support. Cricket Victoria has indicated it will be among the first to pursue private investment, with the Melbourne Renegades franchise set to be offered to the market for full sale. Queensland Cricket indicated it would likely retain its BBL franchise for the time being, though it signalled it may have further questions about the broader model.

The BBL16 and WBBL12 seasons are expected to be the final competitions featuring the original eight-franchise structure before any ownership changes take effect. This timeline gave states and Cricket Australia a window to complete negotiations and finalise new ownership arrangements ahead of the structural shift.

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