BBL looks for more changes after record-breaking season

In the wake of the huge success of the recently-concluded Big Bash League, Cricket Australia is reportedly looking to introduce a “Big Bash League-style” decision review system and the retention of the three-import rule. The tenth edition of the competition, which came to an end on Saturday (February 6), became the most-watched season.

In the final, Sydney Sixers defeated Perth Scorchers by 27 runs to retain their title. The title-decider was watched by 1.31 million TV viewers and capped a cumulative finals audience (5.24 million). This is the first time in the history of BBL that five million audience watched the finals. Overall, a total of 41.171 million viewers watched the tournament on their television sets. The streaming figures have further added to the popularity of the competition.

Unsurprisingly, the BBL officials are delighted with the figures and are celebrating their most-watched season. What makes the achievement even more special is that it came at a time when Australian cricket was feeling the heat because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To finish the way it did last night … relief is certainly part of it and pride on behalf of everyone involved,” BBL boss Alistair Dobson was quoted as saying by The Australian. “That game reminded everyone how amazing the Big Bash is; we didn’t get as much of that this season, but it was a great reminder of what a great competition it is and how much people care about it.

“We’re starting to see those green shoots of those rivalries pop up … in our 10th season it takes time for that history to evolve and you can see what happens when you get there,” he added.

Dobson on third import and DRS

Dobson also spoke on the three imports per team. Admitting that the rule enhanced the quality of the competition, Dobson said he is confident the move from two to three imports per team can be formalised long-term. He further stated that a BBL version of cricket’s Decision Review System (DRS) is also on the cards. The tournament was marred by several umpiring blunders.

“It (three imports) absolutely played a role … in some instances that third import turned out to be the star or just added depth. Around Boxing Day onwards, when the English players started to enter, you saw the competition tick up to another level,” said Dobson.

Well, the authorities would definitely not shy away from introducing new tweaks after the success of the three new rules in BBL 2020-21. Before the start of the tournament, the BBL had announced three new rules – Power Surge, X-Factor and Bash Boost in order to make the games more appealing to the fans.  The new rules saw new powerplay regulations, the teams getting the opportunity to sub in a player at a specific stage of the game and get a point for being ahead of the opposition at the halfway mark of the chase.