For over a decade, Virat Kohli has been the face of Indian cricket. While his recent decision to retire from T20 internationals and Test cricket surprised many, fans are still watching closely to see what he does next.
With only ODIs left in his international career, there is a lot of talk about Kohli’s next step in T20 cricket or whether there’s one at all. But outside India, there’s still excitement and hope, especially in Australia.
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Cricket Australia hasn’t given up on the idea of Kohli playing in their own T20 league, the Big Bash. In fact, their top boss has openly expressed his desire to see the Indian legend in BBL colours.
What did the Cricket Australia CEO say about Kohli?
During a recent media interaction, Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg shared his wish to see Kohli playing in the BBL, perhaps even this year if circumstances allow.
"We would love to welcome some Indian players to the BBL. That would be fantastic. That's certainly some conversations that we will continue to have with the BCCI," Greenberg said.
"I mean, I would love to see Virat Kohli playing in the BBL this year. That would certainly create some interest in crowds and ratings, I'm sure. But at the moment, that's not happening, but we do have our ambitions to do those types of things," he added.
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He admitted the possibility is slim right now, but also said talks are ongoing with the BCCI. While not confirmed, it shows how serious CA is about making their league bigger and nothing brings more attention than a name like Kohli.
Why can’t Indian players like Virat Kohli play in BBL?
The main hurdle is the BCCI’s long-standing rule: active Indian players cannot participate in foreign T20 leagues. They can only do so after retirement from all Indian cricket.
This rule has stopped players like Kohli from exploring overseas leagues like the BBL or The Hundred. Even if he retires from IPL, he would need to retire from ODIs too, before being eligible to play abroad.
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Unless BCCI relaxes this policy, Kohli or any other active Indian cricketer will have to sit out of foreign leagues.
Is CA expecting BCCI to change its stance?
Todd Greenberg sounded hopeful but realistic. He knows the BCCI has not shown any signs of changing its policy so far. But he believes the global cricket landscape is changing rapidly, especially with private investments coming into various T20 leagues.
He pointed out how IPL franchise owners are buying stakes in other leagues, like The Hundred in England and that this kind of crossover may push boards to rethink old rules.
"As you're seeing all over the world, T20 leagues are going down a lot of the private investment, opportunities. We're seeing that in England recently with the Hundred. A number of the IPL franchises are now taking ownership stakes in the Hundred," Greenberg said.
"So we've got to again, it goes to the same message I've been talking about. We've got to continue to evolve and innovate the way we run our business here in Australia and making sure that we have an open mind to new things," he added.