Cricket Australia enlists BCG for strategic guidance to counter IPL threat

Cricket Australia has once again turned to the renowned global strategy firm, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), as it navigates through another phase of uncertainty, according to reports from Code Sports.

This online publication discloses that BCG will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the Australian cricket landscape, focusing on the structure of the sport and the allocation of resources among its state associations. This review is set against the backdrop of the sport’s growing franchise influence and the recently announced introduction of Twenty20 cricket at the 2028 Olympics.

While HCLTech remains committed to supporting Cricket Australia’s digital transformation initiatives for external stakeholders, BCG will delve into Cricket Australia’s organisational setup as it anticipates a pivotal juncture in the sport’s evolution. Indian Premier League (IPL) clubs are increasingly signing players to lucrative extended contracts to bolster their satellite teams in international franchise leagues, potentially challenging the control over elite cricketers at the national level.

Cricket Australia and BCG have maintained a long-standing partnership. Just two years ago, BCG analysed the administrator’s financials as part of a new post-pandemic strategic roadmap, which raised concerns about a possible $90 million funding gap over three years, prompting discussions of partial privatisation as a potential solution. Cricket Australia continues to explore this option, having enlisted Morgan Stanley as a corporate finance advisor earlier this year.

While there are questions about the sustainability of Australian cricket in its current form, the notion of privatising a portion of the national sport is likely to face resistance from large segments of the local community. Such a move could fuel a perception of BCG, a United States consultancy, advocating for the privatisation of valued public assets. However, the firm has been advising Cricket Australia for more than a decade.

Colin Carter played a key role in the reform of Cricket Australia’s governance model in 2011. Going even further back, BCG was instrumental in the creation of the Australia-backed World Test Championship proposal, credited to senior BCG partner and global sports co-leader Rohan Sajde. This proposal aimed to counter the influence of the IPL.

The report from Code Sports also highlights that BCG has been tasked with exploring new commercial opportunities as part of its extensive review, although specific details have not been disclosed.

In the past, Cricket Australia engaged the international sports marketing and consulting firm, Octagon, for guidance on North American media rights—a market that may gain strategic significance following the inclusion of T20 cricket at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.