The festive season is just around the corner, which means franchise cricket is coming into full swing, and as the England Test squad heads to Adelaide in a desperate bid to salvage their Ashes hopes, a number of domestic white-ball players are arriving ahead of the 15th edition of Australia’s Big Bash League.
Australia’s premier T20 competition is firmly nestled between Dubai’s ILT20 and South Africa’s ever-expanding SA20, leaving fans and, in some cases, even players, to juggle between a busy spell of white-ball cricket – perhaps a welcome distraction for even the most traditional of English red-ball fans.
The BBL kicks off on Sunday 14 December when Perth Scorchers host Sydney Sixers in a high-profile match at Optus Stadium, with the final on Sunday 25 January.
Meanwhile, the first meetings of the highly anticipated ‘Sydney Smash’ and Melbourne Derby are scheduled for December 20 and January 4 respectively.
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Which English players are involved?
As always, there is a strong English representation in the BBL, with a total of 13 players, all hoping to do better than their Test counterparts currently Down Under.
In terms of the England white-ball squad ahead of the upcoming tour to Sri Lanka and the subsequent ICC World T20 campaign, Jamie Overton, Lucas Hout (both Adelaide Strikers) and Sam Curran (Sydney Sixers) will be the names keeping a close eye on their progress – with the latter wearing the signature magenta shirt in his first BBL stint.
All-rounder Rehan Ahmedwho was ruled out of the England Lions tour after suffering a muscle strain during the Ashes warm-up at Lilac Hill last month, is still expected to make his first league appearance with defending champions Hobart Hurricanes, alongside the former England pace bowler Chris Jordan, who is starting his eighth campaign.
BBL cult hero Laurie Evans returns to Western Australia with Perth Scorchers after a season with the Melbourne Renegades, where the man-of-the-match from the 2021-2022 finals will team up with the clever left-arm seamer David Payne, who played for the Scorchers in the 2022-2023 edition.
Elsewhere, Joe Clarke And Tom Curran both return to the Melbourne Stars while being wicketkeepers Sam Billings and top class fittings Tom Alsop were also re-signed by Sydney Thunder and Brisbane Heat respectively.
Exciting prospect Jafer Chohan will be hoping to build on his first season with the Sydney Sixers, with the Yorkshire leg-spinner aiming for more game time this time around, while Reece Topley will be allowed to play in the competition for the first time in four years after Sydney Thunder added the experienced left-arm bowler as a replacement for the first half of the season.
Who are the other foreign players?
The BBL is always against attracting the biggest names in the world due to the busy nature of the schedule, which also includes international matches and competitive franchise tournaments.
But three declarations have been signed this season to help improve the competition’s reputation, with a headlining trio leading the influx of Pakistani imports, all coming to Australia for their first taste of the BBL.
Babar Azam will call the SCG home for the next few weeks and could open alongside Steve Smith after the Ashes end in a blockbuster-looking Sixers line-up.
Meanwhile, wicketkeeper Muhammad Rizwan was picked up by Melbourne Renegades and the eagle has quickly landed at the Gabba as a left arm Shaheen Afridi is gearing up for a spell with 2023-2024 champions Brisbane Heat.
Hasan Ali (Adelaide Strikers), Hassan Khan (Melbourne Renegades), Haris Rauf (Melbourne Stars) and Shadab Khan (Sydney Thunder) complete the Pakistani cohort, while Rishad Hussain (Hobart Hurricanes) flies the Bangladesh flag.
Kiwis Colin Munro (Brisbane Heat), Tim Seifert (Melbourne Renegades), Finn Allen (Perth Scorchers) and Lockie Ferguson (Sydney Thunder) all return from the 2024-2025 season, but there are no South African or West Indies players involved.
39-year-old spinner Ravi Ashwin was set to become the first Indian male player in BBL history after signing for Sydney Thunder, but a knee injury has since completely ruled out his involvement.
What about Australia’s Ashes stars?
As was the case with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series last year, the BBL will restart without some of Australia’s leading players available due to their involvement in the Test squad, many of whom have played rarely or not at all in the competition in recent seasons.
The fifth Ashes Test is scheduled to finish in Sydney on January 8, meaning there will theoretically be a ten-day period until the end of the competition phase and the finals begin.
Key figures such as Travis Head and Steve Smith are expected to join their respective teams straight away as preparations for the World T20 ramp up, although a decision will have to be made on how to manage the workload for certain players following a grueling Test series – namely Mitchell Starc who recently retired from T20Is – while the likes of Pat Cummins, Cameron Green and Josh Hazlewood are currently out of contract with a franchise.
Team guide
Defending champions
Perennial underachievers Hobart Hurricanes finally ended their hoodoo in 2024-25 as they powered their way to a maiden BBL triumph and they retain that firepower in the form of the likes of Tim David and Mitchell Owen, who could take them a long way to defend their crown.
Sydney Thunder were on the receiving end of Owen’s brutal attack with the bat in last year’s final, but have retained the core of their team to mount another bid with depth in batting and a range of spin options at their disposal.
Sydney Sixers will be looking to avenge their crosstown defeat to the Thunder in the Challenger play-off and, on paper, certainly be the team to beat with a stacked batting order and international-quality seams, even before you potentially add Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc back into the mix.
Melbourne stars recovered from a terrible start to reach the knockout stages for the first time since 2019/20 under Peter Moores and have two gun match winners in Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, although the question remains whether they have enough quality in the squad to mount a challenge as the only franchise yet to win the title.
Record winners
Record five-time winners Perth Scorchers are always close to that, with a fifth place last year, the lowest position in five seasons. They should be in the conversation again, led by Australian T20 captain Mitch Marsh at the top of the table, although they have undergone a transition in their pace attack and are likely to be without key player Josh Inglis in the early stages.
Renegades from Melbourne have historically found themselves at the bottom of the table more often, but have the makings of a team to watch with some smart recruitment bringing in veteran players Jason Behrendorff and Andrew Tye to add to a hard hitting unit with a nice mix of youth and experience, although perhaps a few star players aren’t serious contenders.
Brisbane heat have endured a miserable defense of their title last time out and will be hoping the overseas signing of Shaheen Afridi can provide the necessary spark to a side that will have to prove its depth in the absence of the injured Spencer Johnson and the temporary unavailability of a few Australia Test players.
Reigning wooden spoon winners Adelaide Strikers will expect a much-improved campaign this time around with new additions to complement a destructive top order in Chris Lynn and Matt Short, as well as a trio of overseas quicks to give their bowling stocks a much-needed boost.
Young domestic talent to watch
The BBL has provided a platform for a number of young Australian players to showcase themselves, with Mitchell Owen and Cooper Connolly the standout names to rise to prominence after stellar performances in 2024-2025.
But who are the potential candidates for the coming campaign?
Konstas himself is already a household name after his meteoric rise to the Australia Test squad, but his omission from the Ashes squad has given him the chance to focus on his domestic form and will be in the spotlight for his form at the top of the table with Sydney Thunder.
Campbell Kellaway is another name touted as a future Australia Test opener, having recently made back-to-back half-centuries against the touring England Lions, with the 23-year-old left-hander hoping to earn a starting role in the Melbourne Stars line-up.
Oliver Peake was part of Australia’s U19 World Cup winning squad in 2024 and will captain their title defense in 2026, a highly rated left-handed batsman who recently made 54 against England Lions and secured his first BBL contract with Renegades from Melbourne after making his debut as a substitute last year – although his chances may still be limited.
Mahli Beardman is a 20-year-old Western Australian speedster who is in line for a more prominent role in the Perth Scorchers’ attack, with Lance Morris ruled out. He was recently called up to the Australian squad for the T20 series against India and has been clocked in the region of 150 kmph.
Left arm swing bowler Oliver Patterson, 19 (Brisbane Heat), skyrocketing quickly Marcus Boon, 21 (Hobart Hurricanes) and all-rounder Aidan O’Connor, 19 (Sydney Thunder) are three other names that will emerge as breakout prospects.
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