An Indian Premier League (IPL) match could soon be played outside India for the very first time, with Cricket Australia (CA) reportedly inviting the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to play a match on Australian soil.
Cricket Australia has extended an “open invitation” to the BCCI, and the two cricket boards are already in private talks, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. If the proposal gets the green light, it will be the first international match in the IPL since it took place in 2008.
The report also comes just days after a landmark announcement that the 2026-27 Big Bash League (BBL) season will begin in Chennai in 2026-27 and that it is the first foreign franchise T20 league to play a match in India.
Cricket Australia and BCCI have so far not commented on the proposal, but CA is hopeful of strengthening cricket ties through reciprocal hosting arrangements.
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The talks about a potential IPL match in Australia follow Friday’s announcement of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
The Melbourne Renegades will take on the defending champions Perth Scorchers on 12 December 2026 at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium as part of the new India-Australia Sports Collaboration Roadmap.
The historic match will be the first match of an overseas franchise T20 league to be played in India and is the first match in which the two cricketing powerhouses will have collaborated.
The match will also be the centrepiece of the week-long "G'Day Namaste" festival, celebrating Australian sport, culture, tourism and business across India.
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If an IPL match was ever held in Australia it would be one of the biggest milestones in the league's history.
IPL has always been hosted in India and only a few seasons or a portion of seasons are moved abroad in cases of exceptional circumstances (e.g. 2009 edition in South Africa and 2014 and 2021 seasons in the UAE). But no regular IPL match is intentionally hosted overseas as part of a bilateral partnership.
Cricket Australia is also keen to make the BBL's Chennai opener an annual event to develop the rivalry between the two countries.
In addition to franchise cricket, the India-Australia Sports Collaboration Roadmap also includes coaching, sports science, sports technology and plans for an India-Australia Youth Sports Festival to promote exchanges between young athletes.
The launch on Friday at the MCG was attended by Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan, former Australia captain Steve Waugh and former Australia women's captain Lisa Sthalekar and highlighted the significance of the new sporting partnership.
We are still in the beginning of this, but an IPL match in Australia has already raised cricket fans’ profile. If approved it would set up a new chapter in the global expansion of the largest T20 league.
