Aussie cricket legend furious over ‘shemozzle’ BBL merger
Former Australian wicket keeper Ian Healy has slammed Cricket Victoria’s decision to merge the Melbourne Stars and Renegades, with the hopes of selling the latter off to a private buyer.
The decision caused enormous backlash, with other states completely unaware the merging of the Big Bash teams was coming.
Ian Healy speaks in Queensland. Getty
Cricket New South Wales and Queensland both remain firmly against selling off BBL licences, likely to India, while Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania are in favour. South Australia is reportedly more on the fence.
However, to the surprise of the others, Victoria went ahead and dissolved the Stars and the Renegades, merging them into one club, likely to be named the ‘Melbourne Rangers’ or ‘Magic’.
The other licence will be sold for what they hope will be a $100m sum.
Healy, who previously served as the chairman of the Brisbane Heat, cannot believe Victoria’s jumping of the gun.
“Yes, cricket’s privatisation is a shemozzle at the moment,” Healy told SEN in Queensland.
“Three states are in, and three states are still out after several attempts of proposing offers. The current offer doesn’t suit one state at all.
“It doesn’t provide enough security for the future of cricket in the other states, and one has a rushed concept or a less rushed concept that hasn’t even been released yet.
“Victoria have stirred everyone up, acting prematurely and surely contravening their licence agreement.
“There is no chance of what Victoria have proposed happening because they haven’t had any sort of approval, and that contravention of their shareholders’ agreement and licence agreements just cannot happen.
“Akin to the Brisbane Broncos changing its name, colours and venue without gaining any sort of approval, it just doesn’t happen.”
Healy believes Victoria’s merging of the Renegades and Stars makes a mockery of all those who built both teams into what they are now across the last 15 years.
Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell in 2019. Getty
“Shane Warne, Glenn Maxwell, Meg Lanning, Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch and plenty more have had their deeds flushed away for a brand new club if the Renegades and Stars are disbanded,” he said.
“Young cricketers today and Victorian cricketers have no knowledge of a world without the Big Bash, and I doubt they’re going to flock to a brand new, clean-skin franchise, let alone find someone willing to pay big overs for it.
“This is a league with a healthy broadcast deal, and they’ve got a per-game eyeball count as good as any sport. Yet, they want to change and merge teams. It seems greedy and desperate to me without asking permission.”
The Renegades’ licence is expected to be sold to an Indian Premier League owner and will undergo a total rebrand.
However, if that isn’t secured before the start of this coming BBL season, both the Stars and Renegades might continue on for one last season, despite knowing their fate.
