The Melbourne Stars and Renegades will be around for another Big Bash season despite Cricket Victoria’s merger of the two operations earlier this month creating uncertainty and anger around the game.
Victoria shocked the game by announcing the merger of Stars and Renegades before any formal CA vote on the privatisation, leading to tense meetings between the board and the states.
Victoria has applied for a trademark for three potential new Stars names – Rangers, Blazers and Magic – and has committed to selling 100% of its second license but the Stars will remain for the 2026-27 edition in the WBBL and BBL while the Renegades will operate under interim management, headed by former Stars general manager Max Abbott, with funding from Victoria. A joint email was sent to Stars and Renegades members Tuesday evening.
“Given the extended timeline for a decision on the privatization of the BBL, we have taken the decision not to proceed with our vision for a new team for next season,” the two clubs said.
ESPNcricinfo understands there is belief in some quarters that there is a good chance that privatization plans, including the agreement with the ACA, will be finalized within the next month and that clubs could still go to market to test valuations by October. However, there are doubts from other countries about whether the process can move so quickly.
Before Monday’s vote, ACA chief executive Paul Marsh emailed players saying the union would not agree to privatization under the current proposed model. A key part of the discussions that will now take place will be around increasing the salary cap, with frustration among local players over guaranteeing more money for some foreign stars.
It was previously reported that players are seeking to increase what they get from the revenue sharing model under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to 30% from the current 27.5% but there is resistance to this in CA. Todd Greenberg, CA’s current CEO, was previously in charge of the ACA which may be key to how the discussions evolve over the coming weeks.
Separately, the ACA is set to meet with Renegades and Stars players to discuss the ramifications of Victoria’s merger decision and try to allay concerns ahead of next season. When the merger was announced, it was confirmed that player rosters would not be immediately affected, although both clubs will need to complete their squads when the contract ban is lifted.
Monday’s premiers’ vote was the first time New South Wales and Queensland, which opposed the initial mass privatization model, were included alongside South Australia which initially proposed the hybrid or self-determination model. Western Australia and Tasmania, along with Victoria, have been supporters since earlier this year.
