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News India Live, Digital Desk: Will T20 cricket fans soon see the dream come true that they have been waiting for for years? Will veteran Indian batsmen like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma be seen hitting fours and sixes in Australia’s prestigious Big Bash League (BBL)? These questions are being raised because Cricket Australia (CA) CEO Nick Hockley has given a very big and positive signal in this direction.
After Ravichandran Ashwin played in the BBL for Adelaide Strikers, Cricket Australia now looks all set to open its doors to India’s biggest cricket stars.
Cricket Australia laid the red carpet
Nick Hockley has described Ashwin’s inclusion in the BBL as a “great start”. He said that with the arrival of a big player like Ashwin, not only has the level of play on the field increased, but there has also been a tremendous increase in the viewership of BBL in India.
He further said, “We always want to see the best players in the world in the BBL and Indian players are definitely at the top of that list. It is great to have Ashwin here… Obviously, the biggest thing or the ‘Holy Grail’ for us would be to have players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma also come and play here.”
Hockley also said that the Indian community in Australia is huge and they would love to see their heroes playing on Australian grounds.
But the path is not easy: BCCI’s ‘No-NOC’ policy
However, it is not so easy to fulfill this wish of Cricket Australia. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has a long-standing policy of not granting No Objection Certificate (NOC) to its active (centrally contracted) male cricketers to play in any foreign T20 league other than the Indian Premier League (IPL).
BCCI believes that this maintains the brand value of IPL and also makes it easier to manage the workload of the players. Ravichandran Ashwin’s case is considered to be a little different, because he is no longer a regular member of India’s limited overs team (white-ball team), which is probably why he got the NOC.
Why do Australians want Indian stars to play in BBL?
The logic behind this is simple cricket and business mathematics:
- Immense Popularity: The popularity of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is worldwide. With his arrival the excitement and glamor of the league will increase manifold.
- Broadcast and audience: The craze for cricket in India is not hidden from anyone. If these stars play in BBL, then crores of viewers from India will watch this league, which will lead to a huge increase in broadcasting rights and sponsorship.
- Crowd in the stadium: The large Indian community living in Australia will definitely come to the stadium to see their favorite stars.
Overall, Ravichandran Ashwin playing in the BBL is a big start, which has opened the doors to future possibilities. Now it remains to be seen what talks take place between Cricket Australia and BCCI and whether this big dream of cricket fans can ever turn into reality or not.