Brisbane Premier League cricket: Luke Hodge becomes part owner of Southern Rockets

Hawthorn legend Luke Hodge has spent significant cash in order to join a new T20 team, joining the likes of cricket champs Usman Khawaja and Chris Lynn.

Former AFL players Luke Hogde and Jake Edwards with Stuart Giles and Cathie Reid.

AFL great Luke Hodge has joined a host of big names in becoming a part owner of a cricket team in the new Brisbane Premier League.

The eight team BPL, a new Twenty20 competition to be played in Brisbane in August, launches tonight with a player auction at the Queensland Cricketers Club.

Former Hawthorn and Brisbane Lions star Hodge joined Usman Khawaja in becoming part-owners of the Southern Rockets franchise while Darren Lehmann (Bayside Pirates), Chris Lynn and Ian Healy (Northern Kings) also have shares in teams which cost $100,000 for three years.

More than 2100 players have registered for 800 playing opportunities across seven age groups although tonight‘s auction will be for the senior competition only.

■ WATCH THE BRISBANE PREMIER LEAGUE AUCTION LIVE FROM 7PM

Former AFL players Nick Riewoldt and Luke Hodge talk during the Bushfire Bash charity match in 2020. Picture: AAP Image/Scott Barbour

The competition is amateur but has a professional theme with each franchise given $3 million of “Monopoly money‘’ to spend as they fill 15-man squads from 180 nominations for teams from regions including Toowoomba (the Darling Dingoes) and the Gold Coast (Wave Riders) .

The BPL, despite being supported by state captain Khawaja and Brisbane Heat chairman Healy, has an intriguing “arms-length‘’ relationship with Queensland Cricket.

QC has not formally endorsed the project and QC‘s contracted players will not be allowed to play in it although chief executive Terry Svenson will attend the auction.

“The nominations were always going to be the ultimate measure of how we were going and to get more than 2000 across all demographics and age groups was pretty validating as were the owners we attracted,” chairman Stuart Giles said.

Stuart Giles with wife and business partner Cathie Reid, who is also a director at the Brisbane Lions. Picture: Mark Cranitch.

“It is a great chances for kids and families to play what they see. The pleasing thing about many of the owners is that they have brought new money into the game and people who haven‘t previously invested at grassroots level.

“And those who have extended their interest have said this is a very different proposition from anything they have been involved in at club level.”

Giles, with Healy and television commentator Mark Nicholas, was one of the foundation investors in the project.

The Financial Review reported that Giles, a major financial success in the healthcare industry, has made a multimillion-dollar investment in the project which organisers hope will be followed by similar tournaments in Sydney and Melbourne.

The BPL is modelled on a competition that has been running in South Africa for more than a decade where internationals Gary Kirsten and JP Duminy are team owners.