Cameron White named Melbourne Stars head coach amid BBL privatisation merger

Former Australian batter Cameron White has switched sides and been announced as the coach of the Melbourne Stars amid Cricket Victoria wanting to sell their stake in one of their two teams in the Big Bash League. It has been confirmed that both the Melbourne-based franchises in the league will continue to exist for at least the 2026-27 season.

White has been the head coach of the Melbourne Renegades for the past two seasons, with his move to the Stars a part of a reshuffle after CV decided to sell its stake in the Renegades amid the surrounding BBL privatisation bid. Peter Moores, current coach of the Stars, has also expressed his desire to stay at the club, and it is expected that he will continue as a senior assistant to White.

The Stars will be the franchise run by Cricket Victoria, with the Renegades being run independently, away from the headquarters at Junction Oval in Melbourne. They will still be funded by CV until a full takeover is complete. They are not left with enough time to make the changes to the side for the upcoming BBL season.

“We’ve reached that point now where we had to make a decision as to which brand we would be going forward with (this season). We will go forward as the Melbourne Stars and we’ll continue to look at what that might look like beyond this year. At some point between now and next June, we hope that there will be a change of ownership (for the Renegades),” Cricket Victoria CEO Nick Cummins told SEN Radio, as quoted by cricket.com.au.

Former Stars general manager Max Abbott will take over at the Renegades, with former Australian quick Clint McKay set to lead their high-performance programme and list management. Former Victoria and Stars coach Greg Shipperd has been linked with the Renegades head coach’s role.

Shipperd has previously won the state-based Big Bash four times with Victoria, along with four Sheffield Shield titles during his 12-year spell at the club. He also led the Stars to finals appearances in the BBL’s first four seasons and has won the competition twice with the Sydney Sixers in 2009 and 2010.

“An independent management for the Renegades is really important for the integrity of the competition. The Renegades are trying to win it, rather than being (CV’s) second team. If you are a Renegades fan, Georgia Wareham is going to be playing in the red, Ollie Peake is going to be playing, so your players, your team, are still going to be there,” Cummins said.

The BBL governance structure under the new model, changes to CA governance, agreement with the Australian Cricketers’ Association on privatisation and player salaries, and future funding and distribution agreements between CA and each of the states are the four hurdles still to be cleared before any move towards privatisation is to be taken.

Once cleared, the teams will follow a self-determination model, making decisions for themselves, after which market valuations of the teams will be tested. It is expected that the Renegades will be the first team to be put on the market.