Cliff Notes – Why is there a T10 tournament taking place in Melbourne with BBL academy teams
- The T10 Melbourne Invitational features five BBL academy teams competing in an 11-day tournament from April 7 to April 17, aimed at providing playing opportunities for developing players.
- cricket Victoria is spearheading the initiative, which has Indian backing and is intended to pave the way for future T20 tournaments in the region.
- The tournament will be streamed in Australia via Kayo and in India through Fancode, allowing broader access to audiences in both countries.
Why is there a T10 tournament taking place in Melbourne with BBL academy teams?
BBL teams playing in April? Well, sort of. Five academy sides are participating in a T10 tournament in Melbourne over the next 11 days with a number of domestically contracted players and one international taking part.
What is the T10 Melbourne Invitational?
It is an 11-day T10 tournament that will be played at the Junction Oval in Melbourne between April 7 and April 17. Five teams will play 20 T10 matches with two matches held each day. The top three teams will play in the finals on April 17. The second and third ranked after the round robin will play first and the winner will advance to face the top ranked team in the final later on the same day.
Which teams are playing?
Melbourne Stars, Melbourne Renegades, Sydney Sixers, Sydney Thunder and Adelaide Strikers have selected academy squads of 12-15 players to play a minimum of four games across the 11 days. Stars and Renegades are run by cricket Victoria who are hosting the tournament. cricket New South Wales runs both Sydney teams while Adelaide Strikers are run by the South Australian cricket Association. The tournament has been approved by cricket Australia.
Oliver Peake held his end well even as Australia lost wickets regularly at the other ICC/Getty ImagesWhat is the purpose of the tournament?
cricket Victoria, led by their chief executive Nick Cummins, has been adventurous in stepping into the franchise sphere beyond functioning as an Australian state association. CV runs the high performance aspect of the San Francisco Unicorns in Major League cricket. Victoria also sent a team to the inaugural Global Super League in Guyana last year and made the final. Significantly, this T10 tournament has Indian backing and is broadcast into India.
It is a forerunner to potentially hosting a T20 tournament that is akin to the T20 Max that is played in Queensland in August and September each year and has become a hub for fringe domestic players to get playing opportunities at the time of year. CV is also in the final phase of gaining approval to build light towers at the Junction Oval so that both international and domestic matches can be played there under lights. Such an addition would allow this tournament to be played at night, and in a better timezone for audiences in the subcontinent.
Are any big name player’s taking part?
There won’t be any big name Australian players representing their BBL clubs. Part of CV’s vision for the tournament is to provide extra playing opportunities for developing players beyond the Sheffield Shield, domestic 50-over cricket, the BBL and the Top End T20 series in the middle of the year.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to continue providing important match experience to players right through to the end of the season,” Cummins said.
One international name is Netherlands captain Scott Edwards who grew up in Melbourne and lives there part of the year. He has previously been a replacement player for Renegades in the BBL but has yet to play a BBL game for them.
BBL regular Sam Harper will play for Melbourne Stars. Former Australian Under-19 players Harry Dixon and Oliver Peake will play for Renegades after making their BBL debuts last season. A number of Victoria players including Campbell Kellaway, Blake Macdonald, Sam Elliott and Xavier Crone are also set to feature while Sixers have selected Steve Waugh’s son Austin Waugh in their 12-man squad.
How can I watch?
The tournament can be watched in both Australia and India. It will be streamed in India via Fancode and can be viewed on Kayo in Australia, who stream all Australian domestic cricket and even some grade fixtures.
Squads
Adelaide Strikers Academy: Aidan Cahill, Hamish Case, Isaac Conway, Josh Kann, Ryan King, Harry Manenti, Deakin Murphy, Tim Oakley, Tom O’Connell, Hayden Schiller, Aubrey Stockdale, Jerrssis Wadia, Jake Winter
Melbourne Renegades Academy: Harry Dixon, Dylan Brasher, Oliver Peake, Arjun Nair, Jai Lemire, Scott Edwards, Xavier Crone, Aryan Sharma, Jackson Smith, Michael Archer, Cam McClure, David Moody, Harkirat Bajwa, Mitch Jamieson, Aidam Nadeem
Melbourne Stars Academy: Austin Anlezark, Max Birthisel, Liam Blackford, Sam Elliott, Sam Harper, Harry Hoekstra, Christian Howe, Campbell Kellaway, Blake Macdonald, Reiley Mark, Jonathan Merlo, Tom Rogers, Douglas Warren
Sydney Thunder Academy: Ryan Hicks, Toby Gray, Bailey Abela, Charlie Anderson, Yuvraj Sharma, Riley Kingsell, Peter Francis, Angus McTaggart, Blake Nikitaras, Riley Ayre, Connor O’Riordan, Liam Doddrell
Sydney Sixers Academy: Brock Fitton, Harjas Singh, Tristan Kennedy, Addison Sherriff, Austin Waugh, John James, Lachlan Shaw, Connor Cook, Jake Scott, Joel Davies, Ryan Gupta, Oliver Patterson