Big international names and crowds returning en masse are expected to breathe life back into the Big Bash League this summer.
The 12th edition of Australia’s Twenty20 tournament will start in Canberra on December 13 when the Sydney Thunder host the Melbourne Stars.
A record 17 grounds, including first-time venues in Albury, Cairns and North Sydney, will be used across the 61-game tournament.
After a difficult last few seasons, complicated by COVID-19, BBL boss Alistair Dobson is confident interest in the competition will rise again.
Teams were decimated by COVID-19 last season, affecting the quality of games and attendances at grounds.
Eventual champions Perth played just one home match at Optus Stadium for the entire campaign, relocating east to deal with WA’s hard border closure.
“Just having crowds back at the BBL this summer is exciting, it’s been a tough couple of years on that front,” Dobson told AAP as CA announced the BBL schedule on Thursday.
“We’ve built a schedule that we think gives the maximum opportunity for fans to get back to games.
“Our broadcasters have made it very loud and clear to us that big crowds in big stadiums work.
“The backdrop of the best sport on TV, it’s not necessarily unique to cricket, but it’s certainly one of the key features of the BBL.”
The introduction of the overseas player draft will add another element to the tournament, with former South African captain Faf du Plessis already confirmed and more big names to be announced as soon as next week.
This week’s official cancellation of the ODI series between Australia and South Africa in January has opened the door for more international stars to feature in the BBL after the conclusion of the New Year’s Test at the SCG.
Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Swepson, Nathan Lyon and Alex Carey are contracted to BBL franchises, while Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith want to return to the competition.
Melbourne Stars guns Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa, Australia’s white-ball skipper Aaron Finch and Perth Scorchers pair Mitch Marsh and Ashton Agar will be free to participate in the entire BBL if they are not called up to the Test squad.
“Now that we have some certainty on the summer there will be an opportunity for our clubs to have conversations with those players with more clarity,” Dobson said.
“We’re optimistic it creates a window but also know how busy a summer and year the those multi-format Australian players have ahead of them.”
BBL 12 will conclude with the final on February 4.
Archy
Guest
Whoo! More BBL! So much more exciting than dragging multi-day tests.
Marty
Roar Rookie
‘Our broadcasters have made it very loud and clear to us’… Sums up beautifully the priorities of this absolute joke of a competition. Trying desperately to squeeze every last bit of juice out of the goose that has been well and truely cooked.
E-Meter
Roar Rookie
Not enough games for my liking!
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
Fair contests between bat and ball must not have come up in the market research.
JGK
Roar Guru
NSO is way too small for modern T20. There will be injured spectators.
Bludger
Guest
Just use the state sides, traditional venues, save a lot of money. It's a tv product anyway. Some marketing genius is laughing all the way to bank with a fat bonus inventing this lark. We had a perfectly good interstate competition for 150 years, noone asked for it to be remade.
Anth
Roar Rookie
The more things change, the more they stay the same. CA attempting to make chocolate cake from a recipe whose only ingredients are turds and dirt.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
How the **** can professional mens games stil be played on North Sydney Oval? Even by the 1990s that ground was too small for the bats of the day. Its only T20, but even then its a completely ridiculous place for high level mens games.
Tony
Roar Guru
Details, details...
Micko
Roar Rookie
They play way too many games still, so they want to make it look better by filling smaller regional stadiums for one off games.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Um, isn't Cairns tropical, hence not viable as a venue to host cricket in December & January???
Jeff
Roar Rookie
“Our broadcasters have made it very loud and clear to us that big crowds in big stadiums work." Hence Albury, Cairns, North Sydney, Sydney Showgrounds, Canberra, St Kilda(??), Launceston? What the??
Jeff
Roar Rookie
There's a big summer (+winter/spring) of international cricket coming up, including the T20WC on FTA through Oct/Nov. I still wonder how much traction the BBL will be able to retain come January, notwithstanding a handful of Aus internationals being additionally available. Will the T20WC spur on crowd interest in the BBL, or will spectators - in this inflationary/high interest rates period - have already spent enough on attending the T20WC and skip the BBL? And similarly re viewer fatigue. Time will tell but I reckon it'll be a nervous time for CA re it's future hopes for the next broadcast deal.