All Hundred owners expected to explore bids for Big Bash cricket franchises

All eight franchise owners of Australia's Big Bash League (BBL) are anticipated to examine bids for potential acquisitions, according to City AM. Cricket Australia has announced plans to move forward with a franchise sale, mirroring the 2025 Hundred auction, despite internal reservations. This development could result in teams, like the Melbourne Renegades, becoming wholly privately owned, while others, such as the Hobart Hurricanes, might sell partial stakes.

All owners are likely to join owners of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in assessing potential bids for one of the eight Australian teams. In addition to Cricket Australia, private equity firms, like EQT, which has entered rugby league's Melbourne Storm, may also submit bids. High-net-worth individuals in Australia may also see this as an opportunity.

This move enables major IPL players to add Australian franchises to their multi-club organizations, following the IPL's decision to play a match in Australia next year. Despite cricket's domestic appeal in Australia, despite rugby league's NRL and Aussie Rules football, sports investors believe there is still market potential for cricket in the country.

Premier League owners are unlikely to be prominent in bidding for BBL franchises, due to the complexities of commercial and sporting control in the BBL, competition for players, limited international footprint, and execution risk in growing revenues. Experts suggest that Premier League owners find it less attractive compared to other sports investments, as The Hundred provided a bridge into a vast UK and global market.