BBL 2026-27 opener between Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers set to be played in Chennai on December 12
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "BBL 2026-27 opener between Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers set to be played in Chennai on December 12")
Chepauk will host BBL 2026-27 opener Photograph: (BCCI)
As of now, the deal is only for one game - the opener of BBL, which will be played 2:40 PM India Time (8:10 PM Australia Time).
The Big Bash League (BBL) is all set for for its India debut the opening match of 2026-27 season set to take place on December 12 in Chennai. The confirmation came during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's event at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday (Jul 10). The development comes after months of speculation of the move and finally has been confirmed. Cricket Australia is also hopeful of hosting IPL in Australia in future if BCCI decides to take the tournament overseas. As of now, the deal is only for one game - the opener of BBL, which will be played 2:40 PM India Time (8:10 PM Australia Time).
BBL hopes to host IPL in future
"There's certainly been interest from time to time at state government level and at venue level, and with some of our clubs to imagine what that could look like bringing an IPL game out here," Alistair Dobson, executive general manager of Big Bash Leagues, said. "The IPL's next level, isn't it, - and it would bring an amazing connection. We've seen already the hype around an NFL game in Melbourne.
"It's not necessarily connected to this event or this initiative, but the opportunity to have those discussions when the time's right, I'm sure we'd be open to that, as would everyone across Australian cricket, because the IPL's got a huge following already in Australia."
Which BBL teams will play in India?
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The opening match of BBL 2026-27 will be played between Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers, who are the defending champions. Both the sides will fly to India after finishing their Sheffield Shield games on December 6, giving them about four days to prepare.
"There's a lot of work to be done," Dobson said. "As you can imagine, taking any sporting event overseas is a challenge. Taking a cricket game is complex, but we're going into a market that we know loves the game and puts on big cricket events every day of the week."
