So Warner, Starc, Smith and few others are not going to participate this year because of secure bio bubble. Abd also has withdrawn his name.
For the brand its one thing international players not participating but its other when your own stars dont participate. No wonder BBL as a tournament has not kicked off with craze in terms of viewership outside Australia.
Imagine Kohli or Sharma not playing for IPL completely. Its a tough one!
It has been years since Warner and Starc have played in the BBL, Smith himself would have been another addition to that list had he not played after ages for the Sixers last season towards the end. More than the players rejecting the BBL, it is a case of the clubs refusing to sign them given that they will barely play.
I do agree that it is a bad look for the league when most other leagues have their domestic stars playing every game. The issue is that it collides with the traditional Australian summer of international cricket. Viewership within Australia has already started to decline owing to the lack of quality and the length with noticeable drops after the holiday season gets over.
I think downsizing the league to six teams would not be a bad idea at all, the other formats in domestic cricket have already been heavily affected due to the BBL's presence (the OD Cup is now a blip in the calendar and the Shield has been broken into two halves). Having two lesser teams can raise the quality of play quite significantly and ensure a shorter tournament. You could also have the white ball fixtures of the international side after the league ends to keep the hype flowing while only the tests are played during the tournament. That ensures minimal loss of players while also keeping the feeling of a festival cricket throughout the holiday season with tests in the day and some action packed T20s at night.
Of course however it is very unlikely to happen as the board will probably not stop until the goose is killed in search of the golden egg before realizing that their own actions have hurt their product and that they have been complacent and allowed other competitors to gain ground and be on par with them.