New Zealand cricketer James Neesham has now been unleashing some harsh opinions and criticisms of the actions of franchise leagues around the world, and his latest target is the Big Bash League.
James Neesham, the Kiwi all-rounder, had formerly slammed the BCCI and the IPL committee for the introduction of the Impact Player rule, which, according to him, did not push players to improve in the departments they were not good at initially.
He has now launched a scathing attack on the Cricket Australia-managed T20 league, the Big Bash League, which is also on the verge of privatization. Neesham has played just once in the BBL back in the 2022/23 season for the Hobart Hurricanes, but was dropped at the back of poor performances with the bat and ball.
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What is BBL’s new Designated Player rule?
The Big Bash League has often been known for its strange rules, which set a landmark for several other global leagues. Five years ago, they had once implemented the X factor Rule, which saw teams using two more players as substitutes and one of them could replace anyone from the designated playing XI, who hadn’t batted or bowled for less than an over after the ten overs were completed in an innings.
After the former rule was scrapped due to its underutilization, this new rule, which they are all set to introduce from the upcoming season, has been named the Designated Batter and Fielder rule.
According to this rule, the teams will have an option to name a designated batter during their batting inning, and this means that the nominated player would only bat without bowling or fielding. On the other hand, they will also need a designated fielder who could come in as his replacement to only field or keep wickets.
James Neesham mocks the BBL’s designated player rule
The BBL’s newly talked-about rule is very similar to the IPL’s Impact player rule; however, in the Impact Rule, there are no limitations on the replaced player, as teams can make substitutions irrespective of roles. However, the BBL has limited the role of the players to only batting and fielding.
After this has been allowed to be introduced, New Zealand all-rounder James Neesham has had an ugly outburst for messing up the original rules of franchise leagues.
“Let’s just have everyone batting with a runner every inning. Get a gold buggy to take them to the middle and put a seat next to the wickets so they don’t have to stand up too long between balls. Game’s gone mad,” wrote James Neesham.
Get the feeling Jimmy Neesham isn’t completely sold on the BBL’s new designated batter #BBL15 pic.twitter.com/H7uKBVdnBV
— Andrew McGlashan (@andymcg_cricket) January 16, 2026
New Zealand all-rounder to feature in the upcoming T20I series against India
James Neesham, after being out of favour in international cricket for some time, made a comeback for New Zealand in the shortest format of the game. The all-rounder has been picked for the upcoming T20I series against India as well.
He will also be a part of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 squad for New Zealand as the designated all-rounder in the side. Neesham has not played the other two formats for New Zealand for a long time.
Recently, James Neesham was seen playing for the Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 and then went on to feature in the Bangladesh Premier League for the Rajshahi Warriors.
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