Cricket legends back Indian Premier League-modelled T20 style club shake-up

Australian cricket legend Ian Healy has purchased one of the eight teams set to star in his upcoming new Brisbane Premier League T20 competition.

Test legend Ian Healy has put his money where his mouth is to buy a team in a new Twenty20 league starting in Brisbane with plans to spread nationwide.

The Brisbane Premier League, featuring eight privately owned teams including Healy’s Northern Kings, was launched on Monday.

It is part of a newly-minted Australian Premier League keen to tap in to the Sydney and Melbourne markets from which it has already received feelers.

The concept, which will feature player auctions, includes junior teams from under-12 to under-19 as well as an open team and has been running in South Africa for more than a decade where internationals Gary Kirsten and JP Duminy are team owners.

The Brisbane teams, which include sides such as the Gold Coast Wave Riders and Moreton Magic, can be purchased for around $100,000 for a three-year ownership period.

Healy is a director of Queensland Cricket which was initially cautious about endorsing the project, but after further discussions Healy is encouraged by their “watch and see’’ brief and hopes to win their full support which could allow Bulls and Heat contracted players to compete.

Ian Healy with Queensland cricket Jimmy Peirson, who would not be eligible for the Brisbane Premier League due to his Big Bash contract with Brisbane Heat. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Healy stressed the competition would run alongside rather than in competition with existing structures.

“It is a very condensed format which complements current cricket schedules,’’ Healy said.

“It should not intimidate or change anything that the traditional cricket structures are doing so very well at the moment.

“New clubs, privately owned, hosting U12s right through to opens, accompanying existing cricketing structures, will definitely excite plenty.’’

The first tournament for senior players will be next August with the under-age competitions in September.

“It’s an amateur cricket concept which will look like a professional one from juniors right through to seniors. It has proved to be of great cricket value in South Africa for a decade already."

Organisers believe the competition could provide a pathway to the Big Bash and other T20 leagues for young players, which is not currently on offer.

“I was convinced that extra playing opportunities among juniors and premier clubs was something that was going to be wanted,’’ Healy said.

“It’s something modern and kids will connect with it. Many players of all ages want to play more each season.’’

CRICKET LEGENDS' BOLD NEW BRISBANE COMP

Test great Ian Healy and commentator Mark Nicholas are among founders of a new Indian Premier League-modelled T20 league aimed at taking a club cricket shake-up from Brisbane to the world.

A consortium of businessmen, including Nicholas and Healy, will launch a bold new T20 called the Brisbane Premier League specifically for amateur Brisbane senior and junior cricketers in the hope the concept can be taken around Australia and to countries like the United States.

The BPL, which will be formally launched on Monday, has been kept secret in its formative stages but already five of the eight Brisbane teams have been purchased for around $100,000 for a three-year ownership period.

Franchise owners are believed to include several well known cricket identities for a league which organisers insist will run alongside current setups and is not designed to take them on.

Similar to the Indian Premier League, the concept will involve player auctions with fantasy money.

Well known commentator Mark Nicholas supports the Australian Premier League. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)

The company Australian Premier League Ptd Ltd plans to launch the competition in August 2021 for seniors and over the September-October period for juniors.

It would include eight franchises, five from the Brisbane region and one each from the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Darling Downs.

Franchises would have a senior squad and junior squad in the under 13, under 15 and under 17 age groups.

Senior players would get picked up in auctions while junior players would nominate to be drafted around the eight franchises.

The T20 Australian Premier League would be exclusively for amateur club players and no state, BBL or Cricket Australia contracted player would be eligible.

Toombul allrounder Preston White. (AAP Image/Renae Droop)

Healy is excited by the concept’s potential.

“It has been going in South Africa for 11 years and they scoped the Australian cricket landscape and did a lot of due diligence on it,’’ Healy said.

“I saw something in it so I am in. The important bit is that it complements the current cricket set-up.

“It will be a professional looking amateur competition. It is a very condensed format. In Brisbane it will be pre-season.

“I think it will work its way around Australia from Brisbane and could go to other countries like the United States.’’

Former Australian cricketer Ian Healy supports the Australian Premier League. (AAP Image/Jono Searle)

The senior and junior competitions, to be played over three or four successive days, would be livestreamed.

Co-founder Nick Fitzpatrick, whose Australian Cricket Institute which coaches more than 2000 children was recruited for the project, said, for seniors, the Australian Premier League would provide a more direct pathway for club cricketers to impress Big Bash League organisations.

Elite short form club cricketers not currently picked by BBL organisation include Sunshine Coast’s Alecz Days, Valley all-rounder Andrew Gode and Toombul veteran Preston White.

Fitzpatrick said the concept would also “freshen junior cricket and connect them to what they are watching on TV’’.

They would play in coloured clothing with white balls.

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A high ranking club official said the concept was promising and the timing of matches in the pre-season would have limited impact on the start of traditional Queensland Cricket grade competitions.

He said each franchise would generate income through sponsorship of live streaming, junior coaching clinics, merchandise sales, junior registration fees etc which would help recoup the owner’s purchase fee.

The club official said the junior segment of the Australian Premier League would also expose juniors to new skills and different coaches, although it could be detrimental to the development of juniors for long form cricket.

Queensland Cricket has distanced itself from the competition.

“QC has been aware of this for some time and will watch this proposal with interest. Broadly, we are always keen to explore ways to develop participation and fan engagement,”

Queensland Cricket CEO Terry Svenson said.

“However, it should be noted that this concept has not been sanctioned or endorsed by either Cricket Australia or Queensland Cricket, and essentially falls into the social cricket category like other private competitions such as Last Man Stands which operate outside of cricket’s established structure.”