Q&A with Big Bash boss Alistair Dobson

Will the BBL season be played in hubs?

The footprint of the season is going to have to look different to what it has in the past. BBL is known for bouncing around the country every night but the reality is this year that's not possible, not only from a border point of view, but for the health and wellbeing of our players. Travel is one of the more risky things, so trying to minimise that is important. Playing blocks of games in different cities across the course of the season is the way it will look.

That creates some really interesting and exciting opportunities, creating 'villages' in each city that are enticing and enjoyable environments, and not just bio-secure hubs, and making sure the players remember BBL10 fondly.

But also the ability to create unique festivals in each city rather than the BBL coming in a night at a time. To come in for a more extended time with eight teams and 150-odd of the world's best T20 players in a city at a time has got some really interesting opportunities.

Will hubs visit every major centre?

We've got eight clubs in six cities, and we want to bring as much BBL to them as we can, if we can. We'll be doing our best to get a village into each city. It will still be a little bit dependent on border restrictions – we're making no assumptions on restrictions lifting – so that will play a role, as does the international schedule.

How will you deal with the quality of pitches in hubs?

Last season scores were up and it was a real focus across our clubs and venues. That's going to be more important than ever this year. The chances are we'll be playing more games in quick succession on those wickets.

It will influence scheduling to a degree in terms of where we go and how long we can stay. We do have to keep on the move a bit so it's absolutely a focus in terms of how long we'll stay in each location, and we're working really closely with our group of curators to understand what the capacity is and how hard we can push those boundaries.

There's talk of a window to bring Australia's international players into the BBL, what can you tell us?

The BBL has always existed in parallel with international matches and player availability has always been a factor. This year will look a little different, and we're working really closely with the national team on how we can create the right environments and right processes on how we can optimise that transition, with players coming into the BBL set-up as seamlessly as we can.

From a scheduling point of view we're looking to find windows where players can come out of the national set-up into the BBL, and that's a key part of where we are up to at the moment.

We've got a reasonable idea of where it's going to land holistically, now just trying to optimise those things.

One of the great things about BBL is unearthing those star players, every season has brought a few names up, and this will be another year of that.

Is that window about keeping white-ball internationals with their clubs or bringing Test stars into the BBL?

It's a combination. Some of the Australian white-ball players are iconic BBL players and really passionate about their BBL teams, as are their fans about them. That's really important.

Equally, our national players have got a tough schedule ahead in terms of multiple quarantines and unique environments, and it goes without saying that managing the health and wellbeing of our players is another consideration, albeit we know they love playing in the BBL.

Where is the league at with attracting overseas talent this season?

The league and our clubs are really ambitious and optimistic in terms of recruiting the biggest names we can. And Australia's a really attractive place to be in right now in terms of the world. On that front we're really optimistic, but at the same time it's pretty uncharted waters right, in terms of being able to work with different authorities in being able to get players in, in a way that's safe and secure and gives them the best chance to perform. We're ambitious but realistic.

Any names you can announce?

I'm not going to run ahead of the clubs in terms of recruiting, they're certainly talking to some really big names and there's some positive conversations going on. The contracting window has only just opened, and we opened it later than normal to give clubs the best chance to have some clarity on what the landscape looks like.

Have you spoken with the BCCI about allowing Indian players into the BBL?

I don't want to go into those conversations, but there's lots of discussion going on with the BCCI around the summer ahead. I'm not privy to all that dialogue but we'd welcome any players that want to come and play in the BBL.

Explain how CA's marquee fund for international players works?

I don't want to go into the mechanics of it but helping our clubs in that global marketplace is important. The BBL is a really attractive proposition. We talk to a lot of agents directly, they always talk about how players love to come and play in the BBL – best stadiums, best crowds, best wickets, best experience. Equally it's important to stay competitive in that marketplace.

The contracting rules of the BBL have mechanics that allow us to support clubs when we think the players are able to add marketing value or other benefit to the league. We're pretty active in that space at the minute.

How different is this year to what's been done in the past, for example when Kevin Pietersen signed on?

There is extra being done. Our approach with clubs has been collaborative and transparent with what we want to do and how we want to help. And clubs are working together and collaborating with each other and the league in how we can best set that up.

It is really encouraging that, in such a competitive space around recruiting, they're actually acknowledging that working together and establishing a platform to optimise those players is important in the situation that we're in.

We will co-invest with clubs to get the right players in.

They don't all need our help, they're very ambitious anyway, they've got great recruiters and list managers at all our clubs. The Brisbane Heat are a good example, they're good at getting the deals done.

What are some of the roadblocks the league has hit in the past when luring overseas stars?

Over the last four or five years that T20 league landscape has become really busy with lots of leagues establishing themselves. That creates a competitive marketplace and we need to be always prioritising remaining competitive. Players have got lots of options they might not have otherwise had in the past. It hasn't made it more difficult, it's just another thing to consider when clubs are negotiating.

Is the BBL club current salary cap enough then?

It's something we always have to review and keep an eye on. I don't think it's 'uncompetitive'. Some of the names in the BBL in the past couple of years demonstrate we've been pretty competitive. That said, overseas stars in the BBL is part of the DNA and we can't afford to slip behind.

There's been talk of extra internationals being added to squads this summer, can you elaborate?

I don't want to run ahead of the process, but we're working with clubs and the ACA and others in how we can be as creative and innovative as possible to get the right players in and have each team take the right shape.

I'm not in a position to comment specifically around that. Our relationship with the ACA is incredibly strong and collaborative and we're sharing lots of ideas and thoughts on how we can make lists as good as they can be.

Is having three overseas players in the playing XI under active consideration?

I don't want to comment on specific ideas because I don't want to run ahead of that process, that being said, how we get the right shape of each team is important.

Will there be a player draft for BBL11?

The plan is to bring an overseas draft in for BBL11. We're working through that in terms of the mechanics. It will add an enormous amount of innovation and fun.

An overseas player draft is a really important evolution for the league. Both in terms of the right way to bring the best players in, as well as all the fun and hype and excitement those things can bring for fans.

Can you reveal any of the changed playing conditions for this summer?

No specifics, yet. We've got some pretty exciting innovations coming in. It was a key focus after last season to innovate and be creative and find ways on and off the field to make sure the games are exciting, that you can't switch the TV off, that you can't leave your seat. But at the same time being respectful to the game of cricket.

Some of the ideas floating around were pretty out there, and looked different to the game we know, so we reckon we've found a really good balance between being creative and innovative and at the same time maintaining the core of the game. I'm looking forward to announcing those in a couple of weeks.

Do you want to see more clubs trade players?

There's so many examples in world sport where player movement is such a topic of interest for fans. It creates enormous hype and engagement. It's not something that's found a foothold in the BBL. So whether that's ways people come into the BBL, or how they move around, drafts or otherwise, I'd certainly love to see that become part of the BBL fabric.

Clubs want to build affinity with players, and players want to build careers with clubs, but it's a fascinating thing for the BBL to explore.

We're working really closely with the ACA on how we can do that in a way that's appropriate for players but adds value to the league.

Is part of that being more transparent on what players are paid?

There's pros and cons to that. If it supports a mechanism, like at the Hundred in the UK where the retainer amount for each player was the mechanism by which you built your list.

I don't think player salaries being public for the sake of it adds any value, nor is appropriate. But if it becomes part of the mechanism for building your list, that's an interesting consideration.

A number of leagues build theirs with a certain number of players on certain salary bands, but ours tends be more of a free market contracting model.

But if it plays a role strategically, yes (but) we're not specifically looking at that at this stage.

We'd love to see what a draft can bring to the league and learn from that and see where that leads. A draft is an interesting evolution in terms of creative contracting.

Tell us more about the Big Bash 'village' concept?

What we're setting up for WBBL is quite exciting, in having eight teams in a safe and secure environment and to be able to create little environments within that, be that recreation areas in the village, or opportunities where possible to get out and experience different things.

That said, lots of cricket will be being played, so they're going to be pretty busy between playing, recovering and training. But when you think of the experience Olympians have when they're in a village, that's something we'd like to aspire to, to make sure the players come away with good fond memories of this coming season and not necessarily feeling like they were locked up and caged for five weeks in WBBL and six to eight weeks in the BBL.

So you'll be putting on recreational activities?

It's all overlayed with being as safe and secure as we can but we might take players out to an activity, or even within the village itself. The WBBL is working really closely with Rebel on how they might be able to help us create different spaces in the village, different games areas, a gym, all those things. Little things but I reckon they'll add up to creating memorable experiences, as opposed to players thinking they'll just be sitting in the hotel room between games.

What have you learned from the winter codes about the risk of player breaches to the biosecurity protocols?

We've certainly been learning lots from the winter codes in a whole range of ways; getting the set-up and logistics right, how important biosecurity is and how important it is to have the confidence of key stakeholders – governments and others– and they've done a phenomenal job of managing tough situations.

Our players, both WBBL and BBL, are well trained, they will have lots of education, they are professional sports people and while it's something we're working closely with the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) on to ensure the right education processes are in place, we've got full confidence in our players to adhere to what's put in place.

And it's important we create the right environments for them as well so they're in there having an enjoyable time.

What is the league doing to support players' mental health this season?

For our clubs that work directly with the players it's front of mind for them in terms of how they can manage that. It's about trying to give breaks where you can, it's about making sure within each village there's the relevant support in the village and, where we can, have families in and try and support families in those environments. It's absolutely front of mind. It's going to be a long season and for professional cricketers, they've got some unique challenges ahead of them.

Do you see the BBL as a cricket competition or an entertainment product?

Ultimately it's both. It's got to be the right balance of the two. There is a school of thought, and perhaps I agree with it, that we've lost a bit of sight of the entertainment focus.

Not to say it hasn't been well watched and well supported but I reckon we can dial that up again, even with the players we recruit, the rules we play, the way the competition is marketed.

The entertainment component is really important, we can't take that for granted. Whether for our broadcast partners or fans or other stakeholders, the BBL had entertainment at its heart and we need to stay really true to that.