Exclusive: Cricket Victoria CEO's leaked email explaining Melbourne merger

Cricket Victoria CEO Nick Cummins has sent a lengthy email to frustrated state chiefs following his decision to formalise a merger between the Stars and Renegades.

The email, leaked in full to SEN and Channel 7, seeks to explain Cricket Victoria’s decision-making process amid a tense time in the debate around Big Bash privatisation.

Cummins also apologises for “the additional works this may have created” and criticises the person who initially leaked the story, before he was able to brief rival states.

“Unfortunately the opportunity to speak to you all beforehand was taken away by someone who thought the media should be the next person to find out after them,” Cummins wrote on Wednesday night.

On Tuesday, Cricket Victoria staff were informed about the merger in a meeting at 3pm. By 6pm when SEN broke the story online, almost every single Victorian player had still not been informed of the state’s plans.

The below email was sent by Cummins hours after Queensland, in consultation with NSW and South Australia, organised an emergency phone hook-up scheduled for Thursday afternoon with Cricket Australia.

The email sent from Queensland, also seen by SEN, deliberately makes a point of not inviting Victoria due to “the nature of the discussion.”

Read Cummins’ full email, sent on Wednesday evening, below:

Good evening all,

It has been a busy day, and firstly, apologies for any additional work this may have created for you. That was certainly not my intention.

Given the level of misreporting currently circulating, I thought it was important to provide some direct context on CV’s decision yesterday and the reasons behind it.

As you know, CV has held the position since around February that we would sell 100% of the Renegades as part of any BBL sale process. We have waited patiently while other states worth through their positions over the ensuing months, and as we are all aware, some matters remain unresolved.

I have been very open in this forum about the impact that uncertainty has had on our organisation, including on our staff, players and sponsors. As we have moved further into 2026, that impact became more pronounced, with staff leaving and sponsors seeking assurances we have not been able to provide.

For CV, timing has become a significant pressure. CNSW’s decision not to sell at this time has enabled them to return to business as usual. For other states, continuing in your current structures while contemplating a 49% sale is less disruptive, or at least less disruptive than that position CV has been managing.

It is also clear that there is still some distance to run in the broader discussions, including the self-determination model and the negotiations with the ACA. Both may take time.

To be clear, the decision we made yesterday was not intended to expedite the BBL sale process or place any pressure on any other state. It was about relieving CV of the time pressure we are currently under and allowing us to move forward with more clarity.

By restructuring our organisation, the CV BBL team is now more aligned with the Heat, Strikers, Hurricanes and Scorchers business models. This enables us to pursue a 49% sale in due course, without the same immediate operational pressure. Our team can focus on preparing for next season’s Big Bash, including memberships, sponsorships, community engagement, event presentation and ticketing.

By moving the other team out of CV, we now have a structure that can operate effectively without being dependent on the timing of the sale. That sale could happen before, during or after the season. The team now sits outside CV operations and is able to chart its own course. If the sale has not completed before the WBBL, the team will play as the Renegades. If it has completed, it can play under a new brand should the eventual owners wish that to occur.

In short, we can now operate as two separate businesses, each focussed on the coming season, each not interdependent on the other.

This means the impact of the speed of any discussion around on CV is significantly reduced.

I recognise it would have been preferable to share this with you before it reached the media. We needed to prioritise our people first, and unfortunately the opportunity to speak to you all beforehand was taken away by someone who though the media should be the next person to find out after them.

I hope this provides some useful context. Tomorrow, I will try to speak with those of you I did not catch today. In the meantime, please call me anytime if you would like to understand our position further. You have all known me long enough to know it will be open and honest. I think it is important that we continue to speak directly with one another, rather than be at the mercy of misinformed intermediaries.

Please also feel free to share this with any interested board members.

Regards,

Nick