BBL Will Only Play 43 Games Starting In 2024–2025

From the 2024–2025 season, the Big Bash League (BBL) will include 43 games instead of the current 48. A new seven-year domestic broadcasting agreement Cricket Australia reached with Foxtel Group and Seven West Media includes the overhaul.

According to CA, the new agreement’s lower BBL content makes room for increased player availability, a greater proportion of prime-time matches, and stronger alignment with school holidays.

Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Renegades, BBL — Image Credits: Twitter

BBL To Reduce To 43 Games From 61

The BBL has subsequently grown to 61 games, along with a playoffs series of five matches, from the previous 43 games (including three post-league matchups) in the 2017–18 season. Given that the top Australian players for the national team hardly ever participated in the domestic T20 league, the tournament’s length has attracted criticism.

Following the conclusion of the New Year’s Test, David Warner (Sydney Thunder) and Steve Smith (Sydney Sixers) will play in the league’s continuing season, although many international players will leave for the SA20 and ILT20 tournaments. With the modification in the upcoming seasons, the league aims to prevent it.

BBL 2021-22 Final, Image Source: Twitter

New Deal Worth AUD 1.5 Billion Agreed

The new broadcast agreement, worth AUD 1.5 billion, was agreed and will last from mid-2024 through the conclusion of the 2030–31 season. The current six-year agreement was purchased by Seven and Foxtel for AUD 1.18 billion in 2018, displacing the Nine Network, which had owned the rights for a little more than 40 years.

Nevertheless, since 2020, Seven and CA have been at odds over programming, with the broadcaster intending to terminate the current contract and initiating a lawsuit in June before the Federal Court of Australia. Because of the perceived decline in quality in the BBL, the nation’s domestic T20 competition, Seven has also promised to stop using CA as part of this deal renewal, which now runs until 2031.

The Adelaide Oval — Image Credits: Twitter

Seven announced on Tuesday that it would pay AUD 65 million annually under the new agreement, a 13% decrease from the previous one, and would save AUD 50 million in cash overall as a result of lower fees and operational expenses.

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