CA's got Hundred problems, and Beth Mooney's big pay day is one of them

PL reports on an auction that should send a shiver through Australian cricket

Advocates for the privatisation of Australia’s Big Bash League will be further emboldened by news overnight that the recently privatised Trent Rockets will pay Beth Mooney $395,000 to play in the 2026 season.

Those opposing the proposed sale of the Australian tournament will, however, be disheartened.

Having flogged off its franchise for an game-changing $1.8b last year, the English competition, which Australian female players already rated more highly than the WBBL, is paying multiples of what women can earn in the Australian tournament and did earn when The Hundred was run by the ECB.

The top women’s player in the WBBL draft is paid $110,000.

In 2021, the highest-paid female player in The Hundred received around $30,000; by 2025, it had risen to $122,000.

The world of domestic franchise cricket is fast evolving, but the English competition, increasing its top wages 13-fold in five years, is bordering on the ridiculous, and will be sobering for those of us sceptical about the ‘need’ to privatise.

You may not be sold on the argument that Australian cricket needs an injection of cash to fix budget issues, and you are right to be concerned about the consequences of IPL franchise owners excluding Pakistan and Bangladesh players from an Australian competition, but the reality is that the BBL, once considered among the best tournaments for men and women, is being left behind as new tournaments with bigger pay days become more attractive options for players.