Babar Azam-Rizwan big money effect: Why Australia's biggest stars could abandon BBL v SA20 in 2028

Babar Azam-Rizwan big money effect: Why Australia's biggest stars could abandon BBL v SA20 in 2028 originally appeared on Cricket News . Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . KEY TAKEAWAYS: Reports in Australia suggest that top players are becoming annoyed with the salary disparity between the BBL and other T20 tournaments.

The arrival of Pakistan stars like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan has contributed to increasing the BBL player wages, but SA20 could still pay more. Some Australia stars might choose SA20 above the BBL by 2028 if Cricket Australia fails to improve BBL salaries. Pat Cummins, David Warner and Glenn Maxwell earn the most among the BBL’s Australian players.

MORE: IPL 2026: Full list of teams that qualified for the playoffs stage BBL faces growing SA20 threat after signing Babar Azam and Rizwan In the next two seasons, Australia’s biggest T20 league might see a massive exodus of talent due to increasing financial rivalry among the franchise leagues. According to reports in The Age , there is growing concern that the Big Bash League (BBL) may no longer be able to provide its cricketers financial security in comparison to the rival South African league, SA20, that keeps attracting top talent through shorter formats and increased remuneration. This was further emphasised by the recent addition of the two Pakistan stars Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to the BBL.

The 2025-26 period revealed that Babar pocketed about AUD 270,000-320,000, putting him among the most expensive foreign imports of the BBL. Mohammad Rizwan, also a Platinum-category cricketer, is estimated to have bagged approximately AUD 270,000. MORE: PAK squad for AUS ODI series 2026 | AUS squad for PAK ODI tour 2026 BBL raises salaries for Australian stars but still trails rival T20 leagues In terms of the salary packages for top Australian players, the BBL has made considerable progress in the past few years.