Massive Choices for Australian Cricket

Cricket in Australia is set for massive change with NSW and Victoria having sold rights to their Twenty20 game to groups of Indian investors. The States are understood to be prepared to sell significant shares in their Twenty20 Big Bash programs for up to $60 million in return for profits from an Indian Premier League (IPL) style eight-team tournament to start in Australia.
Cricket Australia's board will decide today whether to accept private equity from Indian investors as part of the ownership structure for each state's T20 franchise.
Cricket Australia (CA) Chief Executive James Sutherland has described the setting up of the tournament as "the most significant development since World Series Cricket" and is fully aware that State association could establish a breakaway competition if the overseas investors are turned away.
CA spokesman Peter Young told media âit's a moment as big, if not bigger, than the Kerry Packer moment when his role resulted in ODI cricket taking off and basically funding the development of Australian and world cricket for 25 or so years."
Sydney newspaper The Daily Telegraph has reported that NSW Cricket has set up a separate business entity, known as Blues Inc, to run the state's Twenty20 franchises and that Indian investors want a 49% share of the company at a cost of $30 million.
With one-day cricket in decline and England and India the only significant draws in Tests cricket, the success of the IPL shows the potential of Twenty20 cricket.
The Australian tournament will involve eight teams, two each from NSW and Victoria, and one from each of the other states. It will feature all of Australia's current stars and retired champions like Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.
Overseas stars from India, England, the West Indies and South Africa will also be offered major-contracts to play in a tournament that will replace the traditional one-day cricket over January and February.
Beyond NSW and Victoria, other State cricket associations are understood to be waiting for guidance from Cricket Australia.
The new tournament would begin in January 2012.