Paul Marsh, CEO of the Australian Cricketers Association, has cautioned Cricket Australia that players may not participate in a privatised BBL unless a formal agreement with them is reached. Under the current agreement between the ACA and Cricket Australia, players are entitled to 27.12 per cent of CA’s revenue. The ACA is requiring that players be given the same 27.12 per cent portion of the revenue Cricket Australia obtains from selling teams to private investors. ACA Chief Executive Paul Marsh stated the union’s stance on this fundamental disagreement.
However, the ACA is requiring that the players receive a 27.5 per cent share of the amount CA will obtain after selling the teams to private investors under the agreement. However, CA has rejected the model, noting that privatisation differs from the revenue the board generates.
Wisden quotes Marsh saying, “I think to understand that it’s probably worth just sort of understanding what our current agreement with Cricket Australia looks like and from our position we believe the players are actually entitled to that 27.12 per cent of any proceeds from privatization.”
Cricket Australia has dismissed this model, considering privatisation proceeds separate from regular revenue streams. This fundamental disagreement has led to a deadlock in negotiations between the two organisations. Marsh proposed an alternative deal that the ACA would agree to if Cricket Australia declines to distribute privatisation revenues to players. The union is willing to forgo its claim on the capital raised from team sales, provided that funds are converted into a larger share of ongoing BBL revenue.
Marsh further adds, “So I think it’s important, if that’s your starting point, what we’ve said all the way along is that we are prepared to forego that share of the proceeds, but it needs to then be converted into a higher share of ongoing revenue. We think that’s a win-win. Cricket Australia at the moment is not on that page, but if we need to press forward with a share of the proceeds, then we will do that. But I think that the better model is to give Cricket Australia the states that opportunity to spend that big amount of money up front and then for the players to be benefiting going forward. “So, look, like every negotiation, there’s always areas of compromise and we’re certainly up for that. Our position really hasn’t progressed because of this fundamental difference around whether the players should get a share of the proceeds or not.”
In September 2026, the Melbourne Renegades became the first BBL team to be put up for sale, with franchise valuations anticipated to hit around A$200 million. The ACA anticipates that capital raised from these sales will be classified as shared cricket revenue, a stance still disputed by Cricket Australia. Talks between the ACA and Cricket Australia have come to a standstill due to this central disagreement, and the union is now pursuing arbitration to break the deadlock.
