Despite the initial fad about BBL, things now are headed to a standstill as the interest in Australia’s premium franchise extravaganza is on an unprecedented decline. Cricket Australia is already racking their brains hard to get the proceedings in place and bring the audience back to the ground.
Going by the latest reports, Cricket Australia is planning to shift this year’s summer one-day internationals into a preceding afternoon time slot so that the receding interest in BBL gets to hit its stride again.
This is what Cricket Australia wants to do for BBL
The Sydney Morning Herald has stated in their latest reports that day-night ODI is losing its popularity and they are planning to shoehorn the matches into the afternoon slots to bring the audience back to the stands.
CA’s scheduling head, Peter Roach referred it to as ‘creative scheduling’ but summing it up in a nutshell, it is simply the end of another season of Australian cricket. Interest in the franchise tournament has been at a record all-time low since 2018-19, ever since the tournament announced its first full home and away schedule.
With the TV ratings dropping below expected numbers, CA is concerned about it and is desperate to get them back on track by whatever means necessary. They are looking forward to a crackling broadcaster deal that will be deployed in 2024-25.
Surprisingly. Australia’s international stars miss out on BBL mostly given the simultaneous running of the franchise extravaganza and the international assignments that Australia is a part of. Add to that the mismatch of the demands and provisions of the franchises, for instance, Chris Lynn has decided to opt for UAE T10 League if a BBL Club fails to meet his monetary demands.
Getting all these factors together and trying to organize a tournament that would regain its lost popularity is like a Sisyphean task for Cricket Australia. Yet the management has always found a way out.
