Cricket Australia banks on trans-Tasman bubble for BBL success

Sydney, Oct 24 : Though the Big Bash League franchises will, for the first time, be able to field three overseas players in their playing elevens, certain franchises are struggling to get the third overseas star due to tight border restrictions.
According to a report in cricket.com.au, however, Cricket Australia is hoping that the creation of a trans-Tasman travel bubble will bring in West Indian and Kiwi stars as the Australian T20 league looks to attract fan-following and match the Indian Premier League’s popularity.
“Cricket Australia is hopeful the creation of the trans-Tasman travel bubble will lead to an influx of West Indians and Kiwis in the KFC BBL this season after the recruiting efforts of at least one club were hindered by Australia’s tight border restrictions,” said the report.
“…Big Bash recruiters have been scouring the globe in search of big-name talent following the announcement that a third ‘marquee’ player will be paid for outside the salary cap, with Cricket Australia urging clubs to splash the cash on some T20 superstars,” the report added.
“But confirmation that all BBL imports (apart from those coming from NZ) will be required to complete two weeks of hard quarantine when they arrive in Australia makes a Big Bash stint far less appealing for some of the game’s biggest stars,” it further stated.
New Zealand will host West Indies for a three-match series in November which means that the players from two teams competing in the Big Bash League will not have to undergo 14 days of hard quarantine due to the trans-Tasman bubble.