By Daniel Brettig

Copyright brisbanetimes

Baird insisted there were risks of Australian cricket being “left behind” by other franchise leagues, particularly those with IPL-linked Indian investors, as both local and overseas players looked elsewhere for the best value contracts. The BBL is played at the same time as the South Africa and UAE T20 league, which pay upwards of $1 million for the top players. The top BBL players can earn about $400,000 a season.

“That’s one of the challenges we’re facing,” Baird said of the prospect of Australian players pushing to play in competing leagues in South Africa and the UAE over the home summer. “Whether in sport or business, if you have competitors that are active, and providing opportunities, you need to consider that.

“We’re very confident in the BBL and WBBL, we think they still remain one of the best leagues in the world, but we can’t be complacent, and what we’re seeing are shifts in terms of focus and salaries, and unless we respond, we have a risk of being left behind. That’s something we need to wrestle with.

“The [overseas] investment in players is significant, it’s at an all-time high, and as an administrative body you’ve got to respond to that. So part of what we’re weighing up is how to stay competitive, how do we make the best league for our fans and players, and there’s undoubtedly work to do as the rest of the world is moving.”