In the T20 leagues across the globe, the Big Bash League league of Australia is a big name. The prestigious tournament is coming back with another exciting season. As the season is launching on December 15, a big concern is looming over it. At that time, Australia and India will play the prestigious Border-Gavaskar trophy. In that case, the Aussie Test players will not be available. That becomes a concern for the franchise. But they find a window for the players.
Concern Over Player’s Availability in BBL:
At the end of this year, the prestigious Border-Gavaskar trophy is coming back. India will face Australia on Aussie soil in a four-match Test series. Players are all excited for the tournament. However, it has become a concern for the BBL.
The upcoming season of this T20 tournament from December 15. At that time, the Test series will be going on. So, the Aussie player who will be in Australia’s Test squad will not be available for the BBL games.
Australia’s upcoming tour to Sri Lanka for two Tests in late January means players from that squad won’t participate in the BBL finals, scheduled from January 21-27. The India series concludes on January 7 in Sydney. It is allowing a potential ten-day window during the BBL for Test players to join.
The fast bowlers’ participation is still questionable because of the heavy workload. BBL officials are optimistic that Australia’s Test players might join the latter part of the regular BBL season in January, pending their workload management after the five-Test series against India.
Alistair Dobson’s Words:
In the previous season, Steven Smith, Usman Khawaja, and Marnus Labuschagne briefly played in the BBL. Their return this year isn’t assured, but if they join, it would surely bring excitement to the competition.
As it is a big concern for the authority of the BBL, the Head of the league, Alistair Dobson opened up. He said, “We’ve seen the last couple of seasons the impact those local heroes have when they come back into the BBL. We’ve given ourselves a really good opportunity this year from a scheduling perspective with the window post the SCG Test before our team head off to Sri Lanka for players to play a number of games.”
Later he added, “We’ve given ourselves every shot. That said a five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series is probably the toughest Test series our players will play in and that’s where their focus is. We’ll work with them as that series goes through to understand what they can do and whether they can play some BBL games. We know they want to and we are optimistic we’ll see a number of them back again.”
Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Stars’ Face Off in the Opening Match:
The 2024-25 BBL season kicks off with Perth Scorchers facing Melbourne Stars at Optus Stadium. Throughout the regular season, matches are scheduled every night except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Following the Perth Test and the day/night game in Adelaide, which target the East Coast prime-time market, the BBL will dominate the evening timeslot.
A Boxing Day doubleheader at the MCG will feature Sixers versus Stars followed by Scorchers against Heat, with another doubleheader set after the first day of the SCG Test on January 3. Last season, a controversial abandoned game occurred in Geelong between Renegades and Scorchers due to a deemed dangerous damp pitch. However, GMHBA Stadium remains optimistic, hosting Renegades’ first home game against Hurricanes on December 19.
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