Cricket fans in Australia face a blackout for next month's World Twenty20 because all local TV networks have passed on the opportunity to buy the broadcast rights for the tournament. 
The tournament begins in India on   March 16 and runs until   April 6. The Australian Twenty20 squad is about to depart for South Africa for a three-match preparatory series there, before travelling to India for a tournament they have yet to win in five attempts.
The presence of the tournament on Australia's anti-siphoning list, which prioritises free-to-air coverage of major events, has been of no consequence, because those rules don't compel commercial broadcasters to buy the rights.
Rather than Australian networks not being interested in cricket, which attracted bumper ratings this summer for both international matches and the Big Bash League, it is believed the main stumbling block is the price being sought by the host broadcaster, India TV giant Star Sports.
It is believed New Zealand, where Australia is currently touring, is also facing a blackout due to an impasse in negotiations.
In the past two World Twenty20 tournaments, in 2012 and 2014, Nine Network has fulfilled the anti-siphoning rule specifying all matches involving Australia and also the final be shown live on their primary channel. It also broadcast matches in the inaugural tournament, in 2007.
Nine has confirmed it does not have the rights for this year's tournament. Its commercial rivals Seven and Ten, the latter boasting Twenty20 credibility because of its BBL coverage, have also confirmed they will not be showing the World Twenty20.
The anti-siphoning rules specify that if TV rights for an event are unsold within 12 weeks of the event then pay-TV broadcasters can secure the exclusive rights. But Fox Sports has also passed on the rights, despite having shown all five preceding tournaments.
Nine and Fox had a contract to share coverage of all major ICC tournaments, including the World Twenty20, but that expired with last year's 50-over World Cup in Australia.
In addition to the price being sought by Star for the Australian rights for the World Twenty20 it is believed the successful bidder would be compelled to pay an additional fee, equivalent to about 30 per cent of the purchase price, to cover the tax component of the deal in Dubai, where the ICC is based.
The World Twenty20 was added to the anti-siphoning list in 2012 by then communications minister Stephen Conroy.
Under current legislation, if any of Nine, Seven or Ten decided to make a late pitch for the World Twenty20 rights they would have to show the matches on their primary channel, rather than on one of their additional channels. That requirement would likely make them reluctant to purchase, because it would require changing their first-choice programming.
In addition to the issue of there not yet being an Australian TV broadcaster for the tournament, tickets have not yet gone on sale. The Board of Control for Cricket in India, which is running the tournament, announced late on Tuesday that the first batch of tickets were about to go on sale - but only for matches at five of the eight venues. There is still uncertainty as to whether one of the remaining venues, Delhi, will host matches, due to legal wrangling.