5 min readChennaiUpdated: Sep 17, 2026 01:22 PM IST
Phil Rigby, the Head of League Operations & Club Growth for Big Bash League (BBL), has revealed the bilateral initiative between Indian and Australian government is what enabled Cricket Australia to take their prized T20 event to India. The BBL, one of the oldest T20 leagues behind the Indian Premier League, will host the opening game of the 16th season at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium with Perth Scorchers taking on Melbourne Renegades on December 12.
While the talk of BBL exploring the option of playing a game in India came up earlier this year, the BCCI initially didn’t seem receptive. But within months all of it changed with a formal announcement made by PM Narendra Modi during his visit to Australia in July. “This isn’t just about a Big Bash game; this whole conversation started around a broader bilateral government initiative around how we can grow and strengthen the relationship between Australia and India. What’s the best way to do that? Through cricket. Cricket is India’s game, and it’s Australia’s game, so that’s the logical starting point for that conversation,” Rigby said in Chennai during an official event on Thursday.
BBL has come to Chennai. pic.twitter.com/3MikJ0R6ra
— Venkata Krishna B (@venkatatweets) September 17, 2026
With regards to zeroing in on Chennai as a venue, it is understood that the T20 World Cup fixtures in the city happened to be a great pull. Though it hosted only one India fixture and most of the other fixtures were day games, there was a considerable turnout, and this BBL again being a 2.30 PM start local time, it fitted into BBL’s requirement.
“With discussions we had with the BCCI, it was an easy decision to play this game in Chennai. I think what was really shared with us is how great the cricket fans are in Chennai and how they embrace all formats of cricket. And Chennai and Chepauk Stadium are actually special places for Australians. It has a deep history with Australian cricket. I’m old enough to remember Dean Jones playing on this ground during the tied Test. As we know, it’s home to some of the most passionate cricket fans in the world here in Chennai. So we are excited to be here,” he said.
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With IPL being its prized asset, the BCCI has gone to all extents to protect it. None of the Indian players are allowed to feature in other leagues, while even the franchise’s have been barred to play even any friendly matches away from India. But the BCCI was open to a one-off BBL match. “I can only talk positively about the support we’ve received from the BCCI. We’re not coming here to compete with the IPL. My observations and the engagement I’ve had show that both Indians and Australians have a very special relationship with each other. That was how the conversation started—we’re here to share that Big Bash experience, which is very different from the IPL or other T20 leagues,” Rigby added.
For the match in Chennai, it is understood that Cricket Australia wants to replicate the BBL match experience to the fans over here as well with special arrangements being made. The ticket sales – which will start in first week of October – will be managed by BBL directly which wants to build a lively atmosphere at Chepauk for the game.
“We want to bring our authentic Big Bash experience that our fans enjoy at the MCG or SCG or anywhere else. The core elements of a Big Bash match — remember there are certain rules in a BBL that are different from the IPL. No one has ever seen the Power Surge, as an example, in India before. We’re bringing a brand new rule this year: our designated hitter/designated fielder rule (like Impact Player). So there are some things in our game that are different from what you’ve seen in an IPL game. The other part of it is the show and the fan experience. If you have watched on television, things like the bucket heads, colour, and all the different moments in a game, we’ll be bringing those. From my perspective, another part is also how we can really find those Chennai flavours that we can bring into the game day as well, almost paying homage to the community,” he said.
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Private investment
Playing the BBL in India also comes at a time when CA has opened the doors for private investment into the tournament starting with the Melbourne Renegades. “They’re a high-profile team. Melbourne is a large market in Australia, and they play games at the MCG. If you look at the Melbourne Renegades this year, tell me another team that’s playing a match at the MCG and Chepauk Stadium in their season. We expect there’s a large amount of interest from all over the world, from all sorts of types of investors who woud want to be part of the Big Bash,” Rigby added.