10 July 2026,
Friday
10 July 2026,
Friday
Perth Scorchers won BBL 15 (Photo – Big Bash League)
Australia's popular T20 competition, the Big Bash League, will kick off its 2026-27 season in India for the first time in its history. The opening match of the tournament will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on December 12, between Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers. This will mark the first time a BBL fixture is held outside Australia, with Renegades playing the role of the home side for this contest.
Live Telecast on JioHotstar
Two Australian broadcasters will send their broadcasting teams to India to cover live commentary and telecast of the match. Alongside Australia, the match will be broadcast live in India by JioStar. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced this historic fixture on Friday during bilateral talks at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
This will be the first time a foreign cricket league match is played in India. According to Cricket Australia, hosting a Big Bash League match in India is expected to further boost the league's popularity and increase viewership. The match will begin at 10:00 AM Indian Standard Time, which corresponds to 2:40 PM Australian time.
Cricket Australia's Objective
Big Bash League General Manager Alistair Dobson described the initiative as significant for relations between the two countries. He said the sport has always received tremendous support and strong engagement in India, and that this match is part of an important initiative between the two governments — noting that cricket is not just a sport but a great medium connecting the people of India and Australia. He added that he hopes the match will prove to be the most-watched fixture in the history of any domestic sporting competition in Australia.
He further said that the scale of the Big Bash League's fan following in India and other parts of the world isn't always fully appreciated within Australia, and that hosting a match in India is expected to further boost interest and popularity in the league and its teams — helping strengthen the competition on a global scale.
