‘Our people first’: Victoria’s explanation for $180m BBL blindside revealed in leaked email
Big change looms for Melbourne BBL teams | 05:19Cricket Victoria chief executive Nick Cummins has sent an email to rival states clarifying the organisation’s controversial decision to merge its two Big Bash clubs, apologising for the ongoing fallout.to combine the Stars and Renegades into one team with a new name and colours, selling the state’s second club in its entirety to private investors.
The Big Bash’s proposed privatisation was slated to come into effect ahead of the 2027/28 season, but Cricket Victoria is seemingly eager to sell the Renegades licence before the upcoming summer, with Cummins declaring he would be “happy to accept” AU$180 million as an opening bid for full ownership of the state’s second club. Watch Pakistan vs Australia ODI series LIVE & EXCLUSIVE on Fox Cricket, available on Kayo | New to Kayo?to scrap a brand it had built for 15 years, fuming at Cricket Australia’s apparent loss of control of the Big Bash’s privatisation, while Sydney Thunder general manager Trent Copeland confessed he was “shocked” by the news.
Meanwhile, there are lingering fears that Cricket Victoria’s bombshell, which comes a week before the states were due to meet and discuss a new staggered model for the Big Bash’s staggered privatisation, has jeopardised the entire process.
“This announcement came as a complete surprise to us,” Cricket NSW chairman John Knox and chief executive Lee Germon wrote to state members in an email on Wednesday evening, as revealed by“We are still waiting to meet with Cricket Australia to discuss a proposed ‘self-determination model’ including a response to our self-funding proposal. ” The News Corp report revealed that New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia met on Wednesday afternoon to discuss next steps, requesting an emergency phone hook-up with Cricket Australia scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Australian Cricketers Association chief executive Paul Marsh claimed Cricket Victoria’s handling of the situation had created “confusion, uncertainty and anxiety” amongst players, while during an interview with, Cummins admitted some contracted players read about the decision in the media before Cricket Victoria contacted them.published a leaked email that Cummins sent to other state chiefs to explain the reasoning behind Cricket Victoria’s decision, apologising for “any additional work” caused by the ongoing fallout.
“To be clear, the decision we made yesterday was not intended to expedite the BBL sale process or place any pressure on any other state. It was about relieving CV of the time pressure we are currently under and allowing us to move forward with more clarity,” he wrote.
“By moving the other team out of CV, we now have a structure that can operate effectively without being dependent on the timing of the sale. ” Cummins also criticised the unknown person who leaked the story to the media before he could brief the other states.
“I recognise it would have been preferable to share this with you before it reached the media,” he continued. “We needed to prioritise our people first, and unfortunately the opportunity to speak to you all beforehand was taken away by someone who thought the media should be the next person to find out after them. ”
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