The Indian Premier League (IPL) could be set for one of the biggest expansions in its 19-year history, with Cricket Australia reportedly inviting the BCCI to stage an IPL match in Australia.
According to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald, Cricket Australia has extended what it described as an “open invitation” to Indian cricket’s governing body to bring the world’s richest T20 league Down Under.
If the proposal goes ahead, it would mark the IPL’s first match outside India since 2021. The tournament was shifted to the United Arab Emirates that year after several players tested positive for Covid-19 midway through the season. The remaining matches were completed in September and October.
The report says discussions between the two cricket boards have already begun privately, although neither the BCCI nor Cricket Australia has officially commented on the proposal.
Proposal follows BBL’s landmark move to India
The reported invitation comes days after the two countries unveiled an unprecedented cross-border collaboration involving Australia’s domestic T20 competition.
Earlier this week, it was announced that the 2026-27 Big Bash League season will begin in Chennai, making it the first time a foreign franchise T20 league has staged a competitive match in India.
As part of the India-Australia Sports Collaboration Roadmap announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Melbourne Renegades will face defending champions Perth Scorchers at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on December 12.
The match will headline the week-long G’Day Namaste festival, an initiative designed to strengthen sporting, business and cultural ties between the two nations.
According to the report, Cricket Australia is also hopeful that the BBL season opener in Chennai could become an annual event.
Could the IPL become a travelling league?
An IPL match in Australia would represent another milestone in the league’s evolution from a domestic tournament into a global sports property.
While the IPL has previously been relocated due to extraordinary circumstances, South Africa hosted the entire 2009 season because of India’s general elections, while the UAE staged large parts of the 2014, 2020 and 2021 editions, every official IPL fixture has remained under BCCI control rather than being hosted as part of an overseas commercial partnership.
Playing a regular-season match in Australia would therefore mark a significant departure from that model.
For Cricket Australia, hosting the IPL would also strengthen an already deep commercial relationship between the two boards, with Indian broadcasters, sponsors and travelling supporters representing one of cricket’s largest global markets.
The idea also reflects cricket’s growing willingness to explore international franchise partnerships, as administrators look for new audiences and commercial opportunities beyond traditional domestic boundaries.
Whether the proposal gathers momentum remains to be seen, but the discussions underline the increasingly close relationship between the BCCI and Cricket Australia as both boards look to reshape the global franchise calendar.