KEY TAKEAWAYS:
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Cricket Australia has approved the sale of a 100% stake in the Melbourne Renegades, making them the first BBL franchise to enter the private sale process.
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The upcoming 2026-27 BBL season will be played under the existing club identities.
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Questions remain over whether and how BBL team names, colours and branding could change after the 2026-27 season.
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Cricket News examines what privatisation could mean for BBL team identities and argues that established names and branding should be protected.
BBL privatisation raises questions over team names, colours and branding
After nearly a year of speculation and public debate, Cricket Australia (CA) finally decided to open the door to private ownership of Big Bash League clubs. This has raised an obvious question for fans: will BBL teams keep their current names, colours and branding if a franchise is sold?
Melbourne Renegades became the first BBL franchise sold to private investors after CA approved the sale of a 100% stake in the club.
So, what exactly could change, and what has Cricket Australia previously said about BBL rebranding?
Will Big Bash League team names change after privatisation?
Yes, BBL team names, colours and branding could change after privatisation, but there is currently no confirmation that any franchise will be renamed or rebranded.
Cricket Australia has approved a process to sell a 100% stake in the Melbourne Renegades licence to private investors, with the new ownership expected to be in place for the 2027-28 BBL and WBBL seasons.
As part of the sale process, CA has confirmed that a new owner could propose changes to the Renegades’ name, colours or other aspects of the club’s brand.
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However, a change of ownership does not automatically mean the end of an established team identity. While new owners could request changes to a team’s name, colour or branding, any such changes would require approval.
In the Renegades’ case, it will be subject to CA approval, while teams sold in the future would reportedly need approval from their state associations.
The 2026-27 BBL and WBBL seasons will be unaffected by the Renegades’ sale, with CA running the team in caretaker mode while the ownership process takes place.
What did Todd Greenberg say about BBL team rebrands?
The possibility of BBL teams changing their identities was discussed well before CA formally approved the Renegades sale.
In December 2025, CA chief executive Todd Greenberg said the governing body would not necessarily oppose clubs changing their names or colours as part of a privatisation process. However, he also indicated that widespread rebranding was unlikely.
Greenberg pointed out that the BBL’s eight teams have been established for around 15 years, meaning their names and identities are well recognised among Australian cricket fans.
“They’re well understood by the community. They’ve got big fandom. That’s different to The Hundred. They’ve only been around a couple of years,” Greenberg had said.
“You might see that in one or two, I don’t know. But I think when people come in and look at the valuations, they’re going to look at the value of the brands,” he added. “And I think they’ll want to invest in the brands rather than maybe bring their own.”
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The Cricket News Opinion: Any rebranding that destroys a BBL team’s identity should be barred
The eight teams have remained unchanged since the inaugural season in 2011/12. The clubs are closely associated with their respective states and cities, with different state bodies holding owenerships in the franchises, such as:
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Melbourne Renegades (formerly Victoria, now sold)
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Perth Scorchers (Western Australia)
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Sydney Sixers, Sydney Thunder (New South Wales)
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Adelaide Strikers (South Australia)
After more than a decade since the league’s launch, fans from different communities and with different loyalties have built emotional connections with their teams, colours, logos and traditions.
Completely rebranding a franchise, as we have seen in The Hundred with teams such as the Oval Invincibles becoming MI London and Northern Superchargers becoming Sunrisers Leeds, could therefore be a disaster for the BBL.
The key thing for the BBL should therefore be to keep the existing team names intact. That would help keep much of the fanbase’s support intact.
Would proud West Australian fans still support the Perth franchise if its identity changed? The team would still have Perth in its name, but would something like Perth Sunrisers or Perth Super Kings be enough to maintain the same connection with supporters?
My guess is: Very likely not.
The BBL is already a relatively successful competition and, arguably, even offers a higher standard of production and aesthetics than the IPL in some areas.
It would do the competition and cricket more broadly a world of good to preserve what has been built. It would be a real shame if that were lost. It may not be anything dramatic, but it will could kill the emotions and connections that makes these teams special.
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Source: sports.yahoo.com
