‘It is up to CA to keep BCCI happy’ - Mark Taylor slams BBL's plans to stage games in India

Former Australia captain Mark Taylor has strongly criticised Cricket Australia’s reported proposal to launch the 2026-27 Big Bash League season in India, saying the move could take focus away from Australia’s home Test summer.

According to reports, Cricket Australia is considering staging the opening fixture of the next BBL season in India, with Chennai being viewed as a possible venue. The match is expected to take place in early-to-mid December, coinciding with Australia’s upcoming four-match Test series against New Zealand.

Taylor admitted he was not in favour of the idea, especially given the overlap with Australia’s Test commitments. The former skipper questioned the logic behind holding a domestic T20 fixture in India during an important Test series at home.

“You’re going to see two Big Bash teams go to India right at the time that the Australian cricket team are playing a Test series here,” Taylor said on Nine’s Wide World of Sports.

“From a Test-watching lover, I don’t like it. I believe if it happens, it will be in early to mid-December when the Test matches are due to start. Australia play New Zealand in a four-match Test series on December 9. To me, any sort of game like that we take away from the Tests matches which I love. But it is also monsoon season, so it would be strange to send two sides there and have a wash out game then they have to come back,” he continued.

Taylor further explained that the issue reflects a much larger trend in modern cricket, where India’s financial dominance continues to shape scheduling, leagues, and player participation around the world.

“There are so many moving parts, but the bottom line is that India is where the money is … it is up to CA to keep the BCCI happy,” he said.

“They (CA) want the players to go to India and play, but most Australians are not following the IPL that closely. I am certainly not. It is a bit of a sideline … but it is now the main part of where world cricket is at. International games like our one-game series in Pakistan will be influenced by the IPL. The finals are coming up, and Australian players will be in those finals, but we don’t know who they are going to be yet. This is the sort of mess we have at the moment,” he concluded.

The Kangaroos will be playing two test matches in August when they will tour Bangladesh before hosting their rivals New Zealand in a four-match test series.