Injured allrounder Glenn Maxwell has urged Cricket Australia to do better at looking after local players or risk a LIV Golf-like exodus to cashed-up overseas leagues.
Maxwell will sit out the majority of the Melbourne Stars' upcoming BBL campaign after breaking his leg in bizarre circumstances at a party last month.
But the 34-year-old will be an interested onlooker as the BBL attempts to recapture the imagination of the cricketing public after two COVID-affected seasons.
The BBL has managed to lure more international talent this year with borders open again and COVID bubbles a distant memory.
However, Maxwell has pleaded for CA to concentrate on keeping Australian talent as cricket braces for the explosion of more international leagues.
South Africa's new T20 league will launch in January when the BBL is running, with all six teams having direct links to Indian Premier League franchises.
A competition in the UAE is also set to get underway early next year, with former Brisbane Heat star Chris Lynn a confirmed participant.
"I think the next step is making sure that our local players are taken care of because we are going to see these leagues take over at some stage," Maxwell told the Vic State Cricket podcast.
"We are going to see the IPL teams, who have got their hands in different competitions around the world, we are going to see them take over.
"It could end up being a bit like live golf, I could see it sort of heading that way.
"If the BBL is not careful, it could get overrun by the amount of cricket that's going on around the world and it's going to be hard to compete with because the IPL teams are just so powerful."
But Maxwell, who in January smashed an unbeaten 154 to record the highest individual score in BBL history, does not intend on going anywhere.
"I sort of feel a bit like Rory McIlroy because I've been a part of the BBL for so long, it's been a massive part of my career, it's been a massive part of me growing as a player.
"I sort of owe it to make sure that I'm at the forefront trying to stick by it, trying to stick up for it."
