Daniel Cherny chats BBL Privatisation & Aus Test Squad (08.09.2026)

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Mark Duffield (0:54)

Welcome back to the SENWA studio. We're out here at Optus Stadium Tuesday morning in Perth. 16.4 degrees outside. A few clouds coming over here at the moment, but it's going to build to a nice day, 22 degrees. Well, the Australians have picked their squad for the Tour of South Africa.

Manus Labachane is in that squad, which bemuses and befuddles me. But here to explain why it's happened, we've got Codesports' Dan Cherny on the phone. Daniel, welcome.

Daniel Cherny (1:24)

It's good to be with you.

Mark Duffield (1:26)

Mate, I just saw you on the TV, actually. I'm sitting here in the studio with watching a bit of Fox News while I'm doing the show and your head popped up talking about the BBL. What's going on with the BBL and the sale of teams?

Daniel Cherny (1:40)

Yes. Look, this has been a real saga, as you know, and it's been a long-winded, long-standing story. But Creek Australia's board met last night in Sydney and greenlit the sale of the opt-in model, the self-determination model for privatisation of the BBL. We are expecting, albeit we still haven't had confirmation of a press conference today in Sydney to confirm that, in which several high-profile Australian cricketers are due to speak, there have been, as it's been well documented, there's been strong opposition from at least, well, from at least two states and three really to varying degrees. New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia have various points formed for the no block. New South Wales is the most dogmatic no state Queensland, not far away from there, although perhaps moving a little bit more open-minded to it and not necessarily against private capital but private equity, but not liking the T's and C's. And South Australia, we're probably the closest state to being neutral in the middle of all this. They were the ones that floated the self-determination model. One of the big contention points in the last few days, and this has been again floated for a while, is a potential tax penalising states that don't go at the first instance in the opt-in model. Victoria, Tasmania and WA are all keen to go at the first available opportunity, and if this gets greenlit, which it has, and then snaps today, the Northern Renegades will be the first team put on the market, and that could happen in a matter of weeks.

But yes, this tax has been a contentious point.

It does now feel as though that has been stripped back to giving it a leave, not lifted altogether. So that may help get South Australia and potentially Queensland over the line. New South Wales, as I said, is the most dogmatic no-state. We'll wait to see what exactly Cricket Australia has to say about this. And then the other key party in this is the Australian Cricket Association, who they need to reach agreement with for a renegotiated memorandum of understanding, you know, if this is to proceed as well. So there's a lot of moving parts. It's a pretty dense story, but we're, yeah, we are coming towards a key flashpoint.

Mark Duffield (3:59)

How soon will we see privately owned franchises in the BBL, assuming this goes ahead, Daniel?

Daniel Cherny (4:07)

Look, the renegades have settled in the first team put on the market, and I think it's quite conceivable that fail could be done, if not by the end of the year, then certainly by the early stages of next year. I think, you know, there'll be a pretty, well, people are telling me there's a pretty competitive field there, albeit until you actually, you know, shoot the starting gun, you never quite know for sure.

I don't think the renegades will be known as anything other than the renegades for this season ahead, but certainly by next season. And then following that, I think both the scorches, which are obviously relevant, particularly relevant for your market and the Hobart hurricanes will both be up for grabs to varying degrees. It's Sanjay Govil, the owner of the Washington Freedom, Welsh Fire America Tech Billionaires, put his hand up to buy the hurricanes. I think he's pretty much in the box seat there and the scorches is being well documented to the sense that a local owner of some sort is the preferred option. Clearly, WA Cricket has this WACA redevelopment, which it needs to fund and then keen for a cash injection there. So yeah, what the short answer is, by next season, I think it's a very strong chance, by the 2027, 28 season I said, there's a very, very strong chance in which you'll have several teams that have been purchased and potentially some rebadged.