Ed Cowan Warns Against Fast-Tracking BBL Privatization

Ed Cowan has sounded a warning shot as Australian cricket edges towards a new era of private ownership: slow down, or risk losing control of the Big Bash League altogether.

The former Test opener, now a Cricket NSW board member, believes the rush to privatise BBL clubs in the name of keeping pace with global T20 competitions is built more on fear than fact.

On the ABC Cricket Podcast, Cowan pushed back hard against the narrative that Australia stands on the brink of a player exodus.

“We've seen already there's no friction to attracting some of the world's best players,” he said, pointing to recent seasons where administrators have reshaped scheduling, marquee signings and the salary cap to sharpen the product without selling off assets.

Ben Stokes heading to Adelaide. Finn Allen signing what Cowan called a “mega deal”. International stars arriving, not leaving. For Cowan, the idea that the BBL is about to be raided by rival leagues – especially the SA20 in South Africa – simply hasn’t materialised.

“We haven't lost one yet,” he noted.

His broader concern runs deeper than one signing window. Cowan fears that once Cricket Australia and the states start selling off BBL teams, they may find it hard to stop.

“There’s a view that the business could be run more effectively, which would enable some time to work out whether you actually do need to sell your star assets or not,” he said, before delivering his sharpest line.

“Because when you start burning the furniture to warm the house, it can spiral quickly out of control from there.”

A league that rebuilt itself

The BBL has already undergone a significant reset. After years of bloated schedules and falling interest, the competition trimmed its fixture list, tightened the window and, crucially, improved the spectacle.

The response was immediate. Viewership climbed. So did the calibre of names.

In the 2025/26 season, fans watched Colin Munro, Chris Jordan, Muhammed Rizwan and Sam Billings light up grounds across the country. When the Test summer eased, Steve Smith, Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc dropped in and lifted the standard again.

This is the product Cricket Australia now wants to take to market.

Set that against The Hundred in England. That league has leaned heavily on star power of its own – Mitchell Marsh, Adam Zampa, Jos Buttler, Trent Boult – yet all four have either played in the BBL already or are set to appear in BBL16. For now, Australia’s competition still has pulling power.

Cricket Australia, though, sees a storm building.

Greenberg pushes the accelerator

Earlier this month, CA confirmed it would push ahead with an opt-in model for privatisation. States can now take their BBL teams to market, with the option of selling stakes or entire franchises to private investors.

Chief executive Todd Greenberg made the case bluntly: wait, and Australia risks being left behind.

“There are opportunities now for our best Australian players to play in other leagues at the same time potentially with bigger salary caps. So when we talk about should we wait for two years or four years? No, we can't wait,” Greenberg said.

“Those challenges are on our doorstep today. So we've got to make some decisions about how we compete.

“We're a relatively small country in a big global sport. So it's incumbent on us to make decisions that we can compete with elsewhere and that's exactly what we're doing.”

This is the fault line. On one side, Cowan and Cricket NSW urging caution, arguing the BBL has room to grow under existing structures. On the other, CA and supportive states pushing for private capital to keep pace with The Hundred, the SA20 and whatever comes next.

States split as Renegades head to market

The divide among the states is already clear.

Cricket NSW has been the most vocal opponent of the current model. Queensland Cricket has taken a more measured stance, signalling unease but not open revolt.

“We will closely monitor the sales process and at this stage, intend to retain 100 percent ownership of the Brisbane Heat, but of course remain open to private investment at the appropriate time,” Queensland Cricket Chair Kirsten Pike and CEO Terry Svenson said in a joint statement.

That is not a no. It is a not yet.

Cricket Victoria, by contrast, has moved to the front of the queue. It supports privatisation and will be the first to sell a licence, with the Melbourne Renegades set to be put to market and sold in full.

“Private investment will unlock value for reinvestment across Victorian cricket, from the grassroots through to the elite game,” Cricket Victoria Director Shaun Richardson said.

For Victoria, the calculation is straightforward: cash now, and more money to pump back into the system. For NSW, the risk of “burning the furniture” looms larger.

The last stand of the original eight?

As negotiations roll on between CA and the state associations, one detail underlines the scale of the change coming.

The upcoming BBL16 and WBBL12 seasons are likely to be the last involving the original eight franchises in their current form.

Once the first club is sold in full, the landscape shifts. Private owners arrive. Commercial imperatives harden. Decisions on scheduling, player retention and branding no longer sit solely in Australian cricket’s hands.

Cowan’s message is simple: the BBL has already shown it can adapt, attract stars and win back fans without selling off its core assets. CA’s message is just as stark: adapt faster, or get overtaken.

The league that once reinvented summer now faces a different kind of test – how much of itself is it willing to sell to stay in the game?