Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)

IPL stars Steve Smith, David Warner lost to the Big Bash League

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They may be the Indian Premier League's $2 million men but scheduling constraint­s mean the Big Bash League will continue to be robbed of the talents of Steve Smith and David Warner.

While the BBL has emerged as one of Australia's most coveted sporting tournament­s, with broadcast rights set to treble, administra­tors acknowledg­e it would go to the "next level" if Australia's best players were able to take part regularly.

Australian skipper Smith and his deputy Warner have been retained by their IPL franchises Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad for about $2.4 million each ahead of the bumper auction on January 27 and 28. A stunning new broadcast rights deal of $3.2 billion has seen salary caps leap by 20 per cent.

Smith had captained Rising Pune Supergiant last year but was retained by the Royals after their readmissio­n into the competitio­n, having been banned for two years for corruption. Warner, who has twice been the IPL's leading run-scorer, skippered the Sunrisers to the 2016 championsh­ip.

Australian spearhead Mitchell Starc is set to be a coveted talent come the auction, for quality leftarm quicks are seen as a crucial component of an attack. Fellow quicks Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins are also likely to pocket considerab­le riches.

Smith, Starc and Hazlewood had been key components of the Sydney Sixers earlier in their careers, and would be again should they be available for selection. The Sixers are winless this season but are on the cusp of signing a major overseas talent and will regain Nathan Lyon from Ashes duty.

Warner is a former captain of the Sydney Thunder who burst on to the scene in T20 cricket, becoming the first man since 1877 to represent Australia without having played a first- class match. But he, like Smith, does not have a BBL playing contract ( Smith is paid as an ambassador) and what shapes as a hectic new internatio­nal schedule when the new Future Tours Program is released from 2019 means that is unlikely to change.

There will not be a BBL "window", as there will be for the IPL from 2019 when all internatio­nal cricket will be halted through April and May.

Channel Ten's BBL chief David Barham said he had recently conceded the battle in having Australia's best players available for selection, accepting Cricket Australia continued to make internatio­nal representa­tion a priority.

"It would be nice to have them but I understand and accept why I can't," he said. "We haven't discussed it for a couple of years and I don't see how it can work."

There had been hope Australia's top players could play in a handful of games but that the home internatio­nal season extends through January and even into February means that is not possible. There are discussion­s about the BBL season staging its semi-finals and final in early February to make these games more marketable but the Australian side is regularly overseas or preparing for a tour at this point.

Barham had also coveted Indian stars such as skipper Virat Kohli, who was retained by his IPL franchise Royal Challenger­s Bangalore for a competitio­n-high $3.4 million. But the Board of Control for Cricket in India won't allow its stars to join the BBL, ensuring the IPL remains the No.1.

"It would be nice to have them but I understand and accept why I can't. We haven't discussed it for a couple of years and I don't see how it can work."

It's understood the BCCI once even prevented former captain MS Dhoni from accepting a short commentary stint in the BBL because of his IPL contract.

The BBL's value has soared since Ten secured a five- year rights deal for $ 100 million. Negotiatio­ns with Nine, Seven, Ten and Fox Sports are ongoing, with a new deal expected to top $60 million annually. Nine is desperate to own the rights to all cricket, with the internatio­nal summer also up for grabs. Ten's refreshing and innovative coverage, with the commentato­rs almost as big a part of the game as the players, has helped the nightly competitio­n average more than one million viewers.

@ Sydney Morning Herald

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