Melbourne Stars and Renegades set to merge, second franchise to be sold in full
Contents
- 1 Melbourne Stars and Renegades Set to Merge
- 1.1 Renegades to Play Under Caretaker Administration
- 1.2 Stars’ Name and Colours to Cease to Exist
- 1.3 Merged Team to be Run by James Rosengarten
- 1.4 Renegades to Play Under Existing Name and Colours
- 1.5 Coaching Structures Still to be Worked Through
- 1.6 Chance of Caretaker Administration Not Being Needed
- 1.7 CA to Approve Next Phase of Privatisation Model
- 1.8 Bidding Process to be Set Up
- 1.9 New Owners to Have Full Control
- 1.10 Complications with Player Contracts
- 1.11 CV Open to Selling to IPL Owner
- 1.12 Conclusion
Melbourne Stars and Renegades Set to Merge
Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades will merge under a new name this season after Cricket Victoria’s (CV) board confirmed they would sell their second Big Bash franchise license in full to a private investor as soon as Cricket Australia (CA) invite privatisation into the competition.
Renegades to Play Under Caretaker Administration
Renegades are set to play under a caretaker administration in 2026-27 if prospective private owners can’t take over ahead of the proposed W/BBL privatisation model coming into existence in 2027-28.
SEN first reported that staff of both clubs were informed at CV’s headquarters on Tuesday that the administrations of Stars and Renegades would merge into one entity across the WBBL and BBL ahead of the 2026-27 season. ESPNcricinfo understands players were later told via individual phone calls but with them spread across the world the news spread to the media ahead of some players being informed.
Stars’ Name and Colours to Cease to Exist
Stars’ name and colours will cease to exist, with a new nickname and colours to be worn by the team who will also remain at the MCG. The nickname is yet to be determined by the CV board but the plan is to have a team united by Victoria’s navy blue state colours for next season.
Merged Team to be Run by James Rosengarten
The merged team will be run by current Renegades general manager James Rosengarten but the current Stars WBBL and BBL contracted players will remain with that team for the 2026-27 season.
Renegades to Play Under Existing Name and Colours
Renegades will play under their existing name and colours in 2026-27 with their current playing list but run by a caretaker administration that will be led by current Stars general manager Max Abbott for now. The sales process, however, could change that with the exception of the contracted players.
Coaching Structures Still to be Worked Through
Renegades are currently coached by Cameron White but they do not have a women’s coach for next season after Simon Helmot departed to join Gulf Giants in the ILT20. The coaching structures of both the merged team and the second franchise are still to be worked through.
Chance of Caretaker Administration Not Being Needed
There is a chance that the caretaker administration is not needed by the start of the WBBL season in four months if CV is able to sell the franchise.
CA to Approve Next Phase of Privatisation Model
CA is expected to approve the next phase of a hybrid BBL privatisation model at a state chairs meeting in mid-June. CV will test the market with selling the entire Renegades franchise in the same way that English county Yorkshire sold their Hundred franchise to IPL conglomerate Sun Group.
Bidding Process to be Set Up
Once the market is tested, and CA approve the sale, a bidding process will be set up for the current Renegades franchise and the winning bidder will own the club outright and take complete control of it. It’s understood that entire process could take as little as two months to be completed and the new owners could be in control ahead of the next season provided CA approve it.
New Owners to Have Full Control
The new owners would be able to take control of all the operations and could rename the club in the way that Sun Group renamed Northern Superchargers to Sunrisers Leeds.
Complications with Player Contracts
However, there will be complications with player contracts as some players are contracted to Renegades for the next two seasons and those will be subject to a renegotiated MoU between the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) and CA that needs to be ironed out before the sales process can go ahead.
CV Open to Selling to IPL Owner
CV is understood to be open to selling the second Melbourne club to an IPL owner, with Sun Group and Reliance Industries (Mumbai Indians) understood to have expressed interest already, provided they were willing to work together with CV on the Melbourne derbies which are the biggest commercial matches for the two clubs each season.
Conclusion
The merge of Melbourne Stars and Renegades is set to have significant implications for the Big Bash League. With the second franchise being sold to a private investor, it will be interesting to see how the new team performs and how the league adapts to the changes.
