Queensland Rejects Cricket Australia’s BBL Privatisation Plan
Queensland Rejects Cricket Australia’s BBL Privatisation Plan
Cricket Australia’s plans to push ahead with privatising the BBL have hit another hurdle with Queensland joining New South Wales in rejecting CA’s proposal to sell stakes of the eight BBL clubs to private investors.
NSW and Queensland’s Rejection
NSW, who control Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder, had been firmly against the privatisation model that was presented by CA to the six state chief executives at a meeting in Melbourne in late March. Queensland, who operate Brisbane Heat, had initially asked for more time and clarity on a number of points in the proposal following a Queensland Cricket board meeting a fortnight ago.
Following discussions with CA, Queensland has decided to join NSW in rejecting the proposal entirely. It leaves CA with only four states, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania, who between them run the other five BBL clubs, in favour of proceeding with moving to the next step of privatisation, which involves getting official valuations for the clubs.
Implications and Next Steps
It has previously been estimated that full privatisation of the BBL could bring in AU$600-800 million. However, with two major states now rejecting the proposal, CA will need to regroup and reconsider its strategy. The decision by Queensland and NSW to reject the proposal may lead to a significant delay in the privatisation process, and it remains to be seen how CA will respond to this setback.
More to come
