Cricket Australia boss Todd Greenberg has said that he thinks it is realistic over time to expect that Virat Kohli will return Down Under for some more cricket in his later years, expecting that once he retires
from international cricket, he would be available to play the Big Bash League.
The league’s biggest buy this season was former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who announced his retirement from international cricket last year and from the Indian Premier League earlier this year.
This summer, Ashwin is all set to become the first Indian player to play in the Big Bash League, having signed a full-season contract with the Sydney Thunder.
Ashwin’s signing comes at a time when Cricket Australia is considering permitting private investment in the league and its teams, a move aimed at injecting fresh funds into the competition.
Saturday’s ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground might be Kohli’s final international appearance in Australia, with the Indian superstar having already called time on his Test and T20I careers.
Indian players are needed to retire from both international and domestic cricket to take part in overseas leagues, which means giving up the lucrative Indian Premier League as well.
It remains unclear whether this rule would change if Indian franchises continue acquiring teams abroad, after investments in South Africa, England, the UAE and the Caribbean.
“In the short to medium term, I think it is realistic over time. We are going to keep the dialogue open. Ravichandran Ashwin’s coming is a really important moment for the BBL and it will highlight the strength, I think, of bringing Indian players into the league,” Greenberg was quoted as saying by The West Australian.
“What that manifests over time, I think, is to be seen. Some of that will depend on whether we take private capital into the BBL, which is an open conversation for us,” Greenberg said.
