The 13th season of Australia’s hugely popular Big Bash League (BBL) franchise T20 competition is set to kick off on December 7th. After being runners-up last season, the Brisbane Heat will host the Melbourne Stars at The Gabba in the opening match to raise the curtain on what looks to be another thrilling edition of the BBL.
The following weekend on December 10th, defending BBL champions the Perth Scorchers will begin their title defense against the Melbourne Renegades at GMHBA Stadium.
Led by the dynamic opening duo of Josh Inglis and Cameron Bancroft, the Scorchers will look to claim their record sixth BBL crown.
This BBL campaign will look a bit different than past seasons after Cricket Australia struck a new deal with broadcast partners to condense the tournament to just 40 total league matches.
Each of the eight BBL franchises will face four opponents one time, and their three other foes on two occasions. This reduced schedule means teams will value each result, needing to gain early momentum in the compressed format.
The familiar four-step finals format remains intact. At the end of the 10-match regular season, the top four teams on the league table will move on to the knockout playoffs.
The top two finishers earn a second life, only having to win once in the January 19th Qualifier or January 22nd Challenger to reach the final.
Meanwhile, the third and fourth place teams face sudden death; they’ll need to win elimination clashes on January 20th and 22nd to play for the trophy.
With a balanced competition and no overwhelmingly dominant franchise, the BBL seems headed for an exciting and likely unpredictable edition this summer.
Perth enters with a target on their back as defending champions, but there appear to be as many as six teams with legitimate title aspirations. Strap in for a quick but action-packed BBL this season!
Big Bash League 2023 Teams and Captains
The captains of BBL 13 are renowned T20 cricketers. Typically, these cricketers play a dual role as key batters and wicketkeepers, occupying positions in the top order.
Each team strategically combines these experienced players with emerging talents and international recruits, creating well-balanced playing elevens.
| Team | Captains |
|---|---|
| Melbourne | Glenn Maxwell |
| Brisbane Heat | Chris Lynn |
| Hobart Hurricanes | Matthew Wade |
| Melbourne Renegades | Aaron Finch |
| Stars Adelaide Strikers | Alex Carey |
| Perth Scorchers | Ashton Turner |
| Sydney Sixers | Moises Henriques |
| Sydney Thunder | Callum Ferguson |
Big Bash League All-Time Winners List
The Big Bash League (BBL) was started in 2011 by Cricket Australia. At first, it was called the Twenty20 Big Bash, but then they changed it to the Big Bash League after the first season in 2011-12.
Now, the BBL is super famous and one of the best T20 leagues globally. It has teams from different cities, and they have local and international cricket stars playing quick, high-scoring matches every Aussie summer.
After 12 years of getting bigger, the BBL now has more than a million people watching the games live, and lots of folks watch it on TV too. It’s not just fun to watch; it’s also a big opportunity for new Aussie players to show off their skills alongside T20 superstars from all over the cricket world.
Here is the List of all the Winners of the Big Bash League From 2011-2022:
| Edition | Year | Winner | Runner Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2011-12 | Sydney Sixers | Perth Scorchers |
| 2nd | 2012-13 | Brisbane Heat | Perth Scorchers |
| 3rd | 2013-14 | Perth Scorchers | Hobart Hurricanes |
| 4th | 2014-15 | Perth Scorchers | Sydney Sixers |
| 5th | 2015-16 | Sydney Thunder | Melbourne Stars |
| 6th | 2016-17 | Perth Scorchers | Sydney Sixers |
| 7th | 2017-18 | Adelaide Strikers | Hobart Hurricanes |
| 8th | 2018-19 | Melbourne Renegades | Melbourne Stars |
| 9th | 2019-20 | Sydney Sixers | Melbourne Stars |
| 10th | 2020-21 | Sydney Sixers | Perth Scorchers |
| 11th | 2021-22 | Perth Scorchers | Sydney Sixers |
| 12th | 2022-23 | Perth Scorchers | Brisbane Heat |
Big Bash League 2023-24 Full Fixture and Schedule:
| Date | Match | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Dec 7 | Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Stars | Gabba | 7:15 pm |
| Fri, Dec 8 | Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Renegades | SCG | 7:15 pm |
| Sat, Dec 9 | Adelaide Strikers vs Brisbane Heat | Adelaide Oval | 7:15 pm |
| Sun, Dec 10 | Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers | GMHBA Stadium | 7:15 pm |
| Mon, Dec 11 | Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Sixers | University of Tasmania Stadium | 7:15 pm |
| Tue, Dec 12 | Sydney Thunder vs Brisbane Heat | Manuka Oval | 7:15 pm |
| Wed, Dec 13 | Melbourne Stars vs Perth Scorchers | MCG | 7:15 pm |
| Tue, Dec 19 | Adelaide Strikers vs Sydney Thunder | Adelaide Oval | 7:15 pm |
| Wed, Dec 20 | Perth Scorchers vs Hobart Hurricanes | Optus Stadium | 7:15 pm |
| Thu, Dec 21 | Melbourne Renegades vs Brisbane Heat | Marvel Stadium | 7:15 pm |
| Fri, Dec 22 | Sydney Sixers vs Adelaide Strikers | SCG | 7:15 pm |
| Sat, Dec 23 | Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder | Lavington Sports Ground | 3:30 pm |
| Sat, Dec 23 | Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Renegades | Blundstone Arena | 7:15 pm |
| Tue, Dec 26 | Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Stars | SCG | 6:05 pm |
| Tue, Dec 26 | Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Renegades | Optus Stadium | 9:15 pm |
| Wed, Dec 27 | Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Thunder | Gabba | 7:15 pm |
| Thu, Dec 28 | Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Stars | Blundstone Arena | 7:15 pm |
| Fri, Dec 29 | Melbourne Renegades vs Adelaide Strikers | Marvel Stadium | 7:15 pm |
| Sat, Dec 30 | Sydney Thunder vs Sydney Sixers | Sydney Showground | 7:15 pm |
| Sun, Dec 31 | Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Stars | Adelaide Oval | 7:15 pm |
| Mon, Jan 1 | Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Thunder | Blundstone Arena | 4 pm |
| Mon, Jan 1 | Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers | Gabba | 7:15 pm |
| Tue, Jan 2 | Melbourne Stars vs Melbourne Renegades | MCG | 7:15 pm |
| Wed, Jan 3 | Sydney Sixers vs Brisbane Heat | C.ex Coffs International Stadium | 6:05 pm |
| Wed, Jan 3 | Perth Scorchers vs Adelaide Strikers | Optus Stadium | 9:15 pm |
| Thu, Jan 4 | Melbourne Renegades vs Hobart Hurricanes | Marvel Stadium | 7:15 pm |
| Fri, Jan 5 | Adelaide Strikers vs Perth Scorchers | Adelaide Oval | 7:15 pm |
| Sat, Jan 6 | Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Sixers | MCG | 7:15 pm |
| Sun, Jan 7 | Brisbane Heat vs Hobart Hurricanes | Gabba | 7:15 pm |
| Mon, Jan 8 | Sydney Thunder vs Perth Scorchers | Sydney Showground | 7:15 pm |
| Tue, Jan 9 | Adelaide Strikers vs Hobart Hurricanes | Adelaide Oval | 7:40 pm |
| Wed, Jan 10 | Brisbane Heat vs Perth Scorchers | Gabba | 7:40 pm |
| Thu, Jan 11 | Hobart Hurricanes vs Adelaide Strikers | Blundstone Arena | 7:15 pm |
| Fri, Jan 12 | Sydney Sixers vs Sydney Thunder | SCG | 7:15 pm |
| Sat, Jan 13 | Perth Scorchers vs Brisbane Heat | Optus Stadium | 4:15 pm |
| Sat, Jan 13 | Melbourne Renegades vs Melbourne Stars | Marvel Stadium | 7:30 pm |
| Sun, Jan 14 | Sydney Thunder vs Adelaide Strikers | Manuka Oval | 7:15 pm |
| Mon, Jan 15 | Melbourne Stars vs Hobart Hurricanes | MCG | 7:15 pm |
| Tue, Jan 16 | Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Sixers | Optus Stadium | 7:40 pm |
| Wed, Jan 17 | Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Renegades | Sydney Showground | 7:15 pm |
| Fri, Jan 19 | Qualifier | TBC | |
| Sat, Jan 20 | Knockout | TBC | |
| Mon, Jan 22 | Challenger | TBC | |
| Wed, Jan 24 | Final | TBC |
