The Big Bash League (BBL) privatisation debate went to a new level last month when, despite no unanimous agreement between the six states to vote in favour of selling their BBL teams to private ownership, Cricket Victoria (CV) moved ahead with plans to sell off the Melbourne Renegades and rebrand the Melbourne Stars with a new name and colours.
That plan was shelved for at least one season when other states talked CV and its CEO Nick Cummins into slowing things down a touch, and CV responded by delaying the rebranding of the Stars for one season and running the Renegades under an interim administration with an eye to transferring the licence to a new ownership well ahead of the 2027-28 season.
Tasmania were one of the three states initially in favour of BBL privatisation - alongside Victoria and Western Australia - whilst New South Wales and Queensland rejected the proposal and South Australia wanted to place significant caveats on a league-wide privatisation.
Baker insists that Cricket Tasmania are not yet 100% sold on the idea of offloading the Hobart Hurricanes, but believe such an investment at the right price would benefit the sport as a whole.
"We believe this is a really great opportunity to fuel growth in the sport," Baker told reporters.
"I think that gets lost in the argument a bit.
"This is about protecting what we love around cricket (whether it's) red-ball cricket, women's domestic cricket, pathway cricket.
"People think it is a grab for cash rather than an opportunity to continue to grow the game.
"We're open minded. We don't tend to get too concerned about what others think or do in this space. It's about what we think is right for us."
Baker said he is continuing to have discussions with interested parties from India.
"All we have committed to is to go to the next stage," he added.
"To see who's out there, to see what they're prepared to bring to this franchise and this state."
Aaron Murphy has been with Flashscore since 2018 and, as the founding editor of the Australian newsdesk, has reported on-site at several major events in Melbourne including the Australian Open, State of Origin, A-League, NBL and international cricket. You can read his pieces here and contact him on X or LinkedIn.
