MELBOURNE (Kashmir English): For the first time, a match of Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL) will be played outside Australia, Cricket Australia confirmed in a press release.
As per details, the opening match of the 2026-27 season will be played between the defending champions, Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Renegades at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on December 12.
“The Renegades will be the designated home team with the match to begin at 2.40 pm local time,” the cricket board said.
The announcement was made during the ceremony at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, which was attended by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Cricket Australia has confirmed Melbourne Renegades will play Perth Scorchers in India this December in what the league anticipates will be the most watched game in Big Bash history: https://t.co/AyEEyaoJhc pic.twitter.com/Stnz0lzoNs
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) July 10, 2026
“I am excited to expand co-operation with India on sport, which not only brings joy to Australians but boosts trade, tourism, and investment,” the Australian PM said.
In a statement, Cricket Australia said that it hopes this move can also pave the way for possible overseas matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the future.
Both teams will leave for India after the sixth round of the Sheffield Shield and will take the field after a few days of preparation in Chennai. Cricket Australia expects the 35,000-capacity stadium to be packed with spectators.
Australian players are in high demand in the Indian Premier League, and organisers of the BBL, which started in 2011–12, are looking to tap into cricket’s most lucrative market.
Cricket Australia reported a net deficit of A$11.3m (£5.8m) for 2024-25 despite hosting the lucrative Border-Gavaskar Test series against India.
The governing body hopes to open up the league to private investment to boost its finances and improve competitiveness in T20 cricket.
