Australia, India Deepen Strategic Partnership Through Sport, Announce Historic Big Bash Match in Chennai
New Sports Collaboration Roadmap aims to boost training, technology, investment and major sporting events as Canberra and New Delhi strengthen bilateral ties.
Australia and India have launched a landmark sports partnership aimed at expanding cooperation in athlete development, sports science, technology and major international events, while announcing that the opening match of the 2026–27 Big Bash League (BBL) season will be played in India for the first time.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the India–Australia Sports Collaboration Roadmap during a joint event at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), describing sport as a powerful force that continues to strengthen the growing partnership between the two nations.
Announcing the initiative, Albanese said Australia would take the Big Bash League to India, with the season-opening match between the Melbourne Renegades and the Perth Scorchers scheduled to be played in Chennai on December 12, 2026.
The match will launch a week-long G’day Namaste Festival, bringing together Australian sport, culture and business in India. The event will also feature a high-level Australian business delegation led by the Business Council of Australia to promote trade, investment and commercial cooperation.
“Our relationship with India continues to grow across every sector, and sport is helping bring our people even closer together,” Albanese said, adding that the new roadmap would support collaboration in sports science, athlete development, major event management and broader economic opportunities.
Highlighting the expanding sporting links between the two countries, Albanese said participation in Australian Rules football in India has grown from around 150 players a few years ago to nearly 10,000 players across 11 states. He also noted the increasing exchange of sporting cultures, including cricket and kabaddi.
Modi welcomed the initiative, describing sport as one of the strongest pillars of the India–Australia relationship.
“We will deepen cooperation not only in cricket but across a wide range of sports. We will work together in sports training, sports science and sports technology,” Modi said.
He said India’s Khelo India Programme has transformed the country’s sporting landscape by providing opportunities to talented athletes from villages, small towns and ordinary families, allowing new sporting talent to emerge from across the nation.
The Indian Prime Minister also welcomed the decision to stage a Big Bash League match in Chennai, saying India offers enormous audiences and global visibility for international sporting competitions.
Looking ahead, both leaders said the coming decade presents unprecedented opportunities for collaboration as India prepares to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, Australia hosts the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games, and India continues its campaign to host the 2036 Olympic Games, a bid Albanese said Australia would support.
The announcements underscore the growing Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Australia and India, with both governments using sport as a platform to deepen people-to-people ties while expanding cooperation in trade, investment, education and regional engagement.
Source: Government of Australia -PM-Media
