Melbourne Stars and Renegades Set for Historic Merger in BBL Restructure Plan

Australia's Big Bash League (BBL) could shrink from 8 teams to 7 teams before the 2026–27 season begins. The proposed change is aimed at making the tournament shorter and more competitive. Cricket authorities are reportedly considering removing one franchise as part of a wider review of the league's future structure. No final decision has been announced yet, but if approved, the BBL would become a 7-team competition starting from the 2026–27 season.

According to SEN Cricket, the two Melbourne-based BBL teams, Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades, are set to merge into a single 'Melbourne' franchise before the 16th season of the BBL. The merger was reportedly communicated to staff by Cricket Victoria, which owns both teams, on June 2. Cricket Australia’s rulebook on BBL can’t allow the franchise to be called Victoria. Therefore, the official name will be ‘Melbourne’, with Cricket Victoria aiming to work on a nickname for the franchise.

The home of the super-franchise will be the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which serves as the Stars’ base until now. James Rosengarten, who was the general manager (GM) of the Renegades, will be the new GM of the Melbourne team. Their jersey will most likely be navy blue, a mix of Stars green and Renegades red.

Cricket Victoria plans to sell the Melbourne Renegades license. A new Melbourne team will be formed, and 10 contracted players from both the Renegades and Stars are expected to join it. However, it is still unclear what will happen to players who are not under contract with either team.

Those players were not informed about the plan in advance and are reportedly shocked by the news. There will be a meeting regarding Cricket Australia’s privatisation plans for the BBL on June 15 in Melbourne, which means Renegades will be sold to a new owner, assuming there are interested parties.

Cricket Australia has been looking to privatise the league, but New South Wales and Queensland are against the move. For now, Cricket Australia will take over the operations for the Renegades.

According to ESPNcricinfo, if the sale is not completed before the 2026–27 BBL season, the Melbourne Renegades will continue to play under the same name, jersey, and players. However, the team would be managed on a caretaker basis by Melbourne Stars general manager Max Abbott.