Melbourne Stars and Renegades will continue in the next Big Bash League season despite Cricket Victoria’s earlier merger announcement, which had sparked uncertainty and discontent across the competition.
On Monday, state chairs voted “in principle” for a hybrid privatisation model that allows each club to consider selling stakes in the BBL franchises. The next critical step is securing agreement with the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) on a new player pay structure, alongside anticipated changes to Cricket Australia’s governance framework.
Victoria shocked the cricket community by merging the Stars and Renegades before an official Cricket Australia vote on privatisation, leading to tense discussions between the board and state representatives.
Victoria has applied to trademark three possible new names for the Stars—Rangers, Blazers and Magic—and plans to sell its secondary licence in full. Nevertheless, the Stars will remain active in the 2026‑27 editions of both the WBBL and BBL, while the Renegades will operate under interim management led by former Stars general manager Max Abbott, funded by the state. A joint email to club members was sent on Tuesday evening.
“Because the timeline for a decision on BBL privatisation has been extended, we have decided not to proceed with a re‑brand for the upcoming season,” the clubs stated.
ESPNcricinfo reports that some stakeholders believe the privatisation plan, including an agreement with the ACA, could be finalised within the next month, allowing clubs to test market valuations by October. However, other states remain sceptical about the speed of the process.
Before Monday’s vote, ACA chief executive Paul Marsh emailed players, indicating the union would not support privatisation under the current proposal. Future discussions will focus on raising salary caps, as domestic players express frustration that overseas stars receive guaranteed higher pay.
Players have reportedly requested an increase in the revenue‑share component of the Memorandum of Understanding from 27.5% to 30%, a move that faces resistance within Cricket Australia. Todd Greenberg, the current CA CEO, previously headed the ACA, which could influence the negotiations in the coming weeks.
The ACA is scheduled to meet with Stars and Renegades players to address concerns arising from Victoria’s merger decision and to reassure them ahead of the next season. The merger announcement confirmed that playing lists would not be immediately altered, though both clubs must finalize their squads once the contract embargo is lifted.
Monday’s vote marked the first time that New South Wales and Queensland—both of which opposed the original all‑in privatisation model—joined New South Wales, South Australia’s hybrid model supporters, and Western Australia, Tasmania and Victoria, who have backed the plan since earlier this year.
