BBL expands its borders for season 12

Albury will host its first competitive men’s Big Bash match as the BBL expand to 17 places for the 12th edition of the tournament this summer.

The full KFC BBL|12 schedule will be released on Thursday, but all clubs today have offered a glimpse into the upcoming season, which kicks off after Australia’s day-night Test against West Indies at the Adelaide Oval.

The eight clubs will host seven home games this season, including reigning champions Perth Scorchers who will return triumphantly to the ‘Furnace’ (Optus Stadium) after one home game at BBL|11 due to West Australia’s COVID border restrictions.

Tickets for all KFC BBL|12 matches will be available via pre-sale on 16 August and publicly available from 18 August.

Ahead of the full reveal, which is expected to include some new spots, here’s what we know about BBL|12 so far:

Adelaide striker

The strikers won’t have to wait long to avenge Hayden Kerr and the Sydney Sixers for a thrilling final loss in the final game of last season, with Adelaide opening their season against runners-up BBL|11 at the Adelaide Oval on 14 December. The strikers will also host the Melbourne Stars in their traditional New Year’s Eve game at the Adelaide Oval, starting at 18:30 (ACDT).

Brisbane Hot

The Heat will host New Year’s Day action at home for the first time in three seasons with a blockbuster clash against the Sixers at Gabba. The match will kick off at 6:15pm (AEST) meaning Heat fans will be well rested after looking at 2023 the night before. This will be their first New Year’s Day match at Gabba, with the previous home fixture at BBL|09 on the Gold Coast.

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Hurricane Hobart

The Hurricanes will host their traditional Christmas Eve game for the fifth year in a row when they take on Melbourne Renegades at Blundstone Arena. They will also start and end their home games at the University of Tasmania Stadium in Launceston with eye-catching clashes against the Scorchers (19 December, 7:15pm) and the Heat on the final day of the regular season (25 January, 13:40). They also played the Sydney Thunder on New Year’s Eve with an early game at Albury.

Melbourne Renegades

Nic Maddinson’s side, who announced yesterday that they have secured top-order young player Mackenzie Harvey until the end of BBL|13, will host another New Year’s Day match at Marvel Stadium against the Scorchers starting at 13:40. The clash will mark Perth’s return to their home away from home last season after they played six games at the Docklands venue at BBL|11, including their 79-time loss to the Sixers in the decider to claim their fourth Big Bash title.

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Melbourne Star

Who’s ready for Friday Night Lights at MCG? The Stars will host two games in the coveted slot in both the family-friendly start times of 17:10 (December 16) and 6:05 p.m. (January 6) against the Hurricanes and the Sixers. The Stars’ third Friday home game will be held at the Junction Oval against the Scorchers on December 23 at 15:30. “It’s definitely part of our long-term planning to have at least one game (per season) at CitiPower Centre,” said Stars general manager Blair Crouch. “We were a little unlucky last year because we caught COVID right before that New Year period, so the numbers were probably down from what we expected… but those who were there had a fantastic time and it was shown really well on TV.”

Perth Scorers

The reigning champions will kick off their BBL|12 homecoming with a blockbuster grand final rematch against the Sixers at Optus Stadium on Saturday 17 December at 4:05 p.m. (AWST). This will mark the Scorchers’ first home game at the ‘Furnace’ in 374 days having spent all one game bar on the road last season. Perth’s seven home games at Optus Stadium will be either night or day-night.

“(It’s) the perfect way to start our title defense and it’s our first game there in over a year,” said Perth Scorchers general manager Justin Michael. “We are thrilled to host an exciting match for our members, fans and partners, who have shown great loyalty the past few years despite seeing MBBL cricket limited in WA.”

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Sydney Sixers

For the first time in club history, the Sixers will play a men’s match at the historic North Sydney Oval – the spiritual home of their WBBL team – when they play the Brisbane Heat on January 4, the first day of the Pink Test at SCG.

The Sixers will once again take the game to Coffs Harbor on the state’s north coast, while their remaining five home games will be played at SCG.

Sydney Thunder

The Thunder will kick off BBL action on New Year’s Eve when they host their first competitive men’s game at Lavington Albury Sports Ground, against Hobart Hurricanes. The stadium has previously hosted WBBL matches and BBL pre-season matches between the Thunder and Stars in 2016 and 2017 and also hosted the ODI World Cup match in 1992 where Zimbabwe beat England by nine rounds.

The Thunder will also play four home games at the Sydney Showground Stadium, including the Sydney Smash against the Sixers on January 8 and the clash with the Scorchers on January 13. Trevor Bayliss’s Thunder were the only team to beat the BBL|11 champions twice last season. The club will also play two matches at the Manuka Oval in Canberra this season.

“We are delighted to be expanding Thunder Nation into a new community that has shown strong support for the Club over the years,” said Sydney Thunder boss Andrew Gilchrist. “We have a history of playing friendly matches at Albury – Border Bash – and, as a club, the Sydney Thunder are excited to bring our team, fans and sponsors to this community.”

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