Chennai confirmed hosts of BBL 2026 opener: Renegades face Scorchers on Dec 12
3 min readJul 10, 2026 08:47 AM Cricket Australia on Friday confirmed that the Big Bash League’s first overseas match, involving defending champions Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Renegades, will be played at India’s iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai in December this year.
The match will be the opener of the 16th edition of the BBL, set to be played on the home turf of IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings on December 12. The landmark announcement was made during India Prime Miner Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese’s visit to the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday, with cricket viewed as a major vehicle for deepening ties between the two nations.
“Our sport has such an authentic connection in India,” CA’s general manager of Big Bash Leagues, Alair Dobson, told cricket.com.au. “This game is also part of a much bigger initiative across both our governments and shows that cricket is a connector for both our countries, and that both the Australian and Indian governments see that and want to be part of it.
🇮🇳 #BBL16 on the global stage 📈
The most-watched game in Australian domestic sports league hory is expected when the @RenegadesBBL take on the @ScorchersBBL in India. pic.twitter.com/ikjUu7RRWa
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) July 10, 2026
“We’re hugely excited the opportunity and we expect the match will be the most-watched game in Australian domestic league hory for any sport.
According to cricket.com.au, Chennai was endorsed as the ideal venue for the one-off contest the Board of Control for Cricket in India (India) and Australian Consul-General Silai Zaki due to its passion for cricket and the religious following five-time IPL winners CSK enjoy in the city.
The Renegades will be the designated home team, with the match at the Chepauk Stadium to begin at 2.40pm local time, reflecting an 8.10 pm AEDT start, slating the contest right after the fourth day’s play between Australia and New Zealand during the first Test in Perth.
The BBL will become the first overseas cricket league to host one of its own matches in India. Although the Perth Scorchers, Brisbane Heat and Hobart Hurricanes featured in the now-defunct Champions League T20 in India more than a decade ago, those games were separate from the BBL.
Australia last featured in a match at Chepauk during their 2023 World Cup opener against India. The two teams are due to meet in Chennai early next year during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
