Melbourne, July 10 : Melbourne Renegades will play Perth Scorchers in Chennai in December to open the 2026-27 Big Bash League (BBL) season. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese unveiled the fixture during a joint visit to the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday.

The match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium scheduled for December 12 will be the first BBL fixture outside Australia and will launch the BBL 16 season. The Renegades will be the home team with the match to take place after the fourth day's play in the first Test against New Zealand in Perth.

"I am happy that a Big Bash League match will be hosted in Chennai, India. Hosting a match in India for any league guarantees a massive reach and viewership,' PM Modi said in his address.

India and Australia have been involved in securing the fixture, which is partly funded by a grant from the Centre of Australia-India Relations to promote ties between the two countries. Chennai was chosen for the game by the BCCI and Australian Consul-General Silai Zaki because of the city's deep passion for cricket and its loyalty to the Chennai Super Kings, the most followed IPL team on social media.

The BBL became the first foreign cricket league to take a game to India. The Scorchers, Brisbane Heat and Hobart Hurricanes played T20 matches in the country more than a decade ago in the now defunct Champions League tournament, while CA previously held a Sheffield Shield fixture in New Zealand, near Christchurch, when NSW drew with WA in 2016.

Alistair Dobson, CA's general manager of Big Bash Leagues, said the opportunity to play in India reinforced the BBL's appeal as a global competition with support within and beyond Australia's borders.

"Our sport has such an authentic connection in India. 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. We're hugely excited by the opportunity and we expect the match will be the most-watched game in Australian domestic league history for any sport," Dobson said.

Australian networks will send commentary teams to Chennai and JioStar will broadcast the match to Indian viewers. Cricket Australia said that the league is aiming to sell out the 38,000-seat stadium for the season opener, with packages to be available for travelling fans.

/IANS