All you need to know for the BBL|13 season

When does it start?

This Thursday! Last season's runners-up Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Stars will launch the 13th edition of the KFC BBL with a mouthwatering clash at the Gabba on December 7. World Cup winners Marnus Labuschagne (Heat), Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis (both Stars) have confirmed their availability for the season opener, as has Test opener Usman Khawaja.

Aussie superstar Steve Smith (Sixers), and the nation's top white-ball spinner Adam Zampa (Renegades) are also in for the second night of the season when Sydney Sixers host Melbourne Renegades at the SCG.

What's the schedule?

The competition reverts to a 10-game regular season schedule this summer after five years of playing the seven rival teams twice. That means there will be 40 home-and-away matches in BBL|13 with each club playing three others twice, which will of course include two blockbuster Melbourne and Sydney derbies.

Five teams (the Heat, Scorchers, Renegades, Stars and Sixers) will each play two games in the first week before the tournament goes on a five-day hiatus from December 14-18 to avoid going head-to-head with play in the first Test between Australia and Pakistan in Perth.

The new-look four-team finals series gets underway two days after the Thunder host the Renegades at Sydney Showground in the last match of the home-and-away season on January 17. The first- and second-placed teams get a double chance and will play off for a spot in the decider on January 19, while the loser of that match will play the winner of 3 v 4 for the other spot at taking out the BBL|13 title on January 24.

You can check out the full BBL|13 schedule here.

How can I watch? 

The best place is live at a stadium near you! As well as matches at all the eight major venues across the six states, BBL|13 will also see the Thunder host two matches in Canberra (on December 12 and January 14), the Renegades play the Scorchers in Geelong (December 10), the Hurricanes host the Sixers in Launceston (December 11), the Stars play the Thunder in Albury (December 23) and the Sixers return to Coffs Harbour to face the Heat (January 3).

You can purchase tickets to all matches here.

If you can't get to the ground, the next best thing is to watch from the comfort of your own living room. Fans in Australia will be treated to 39 nights of the men's Big Bash in prime time this summer, with Channel Seven to broadcast 34 matches live, which includes all four finals. All 44 matches will be broadcast live on Foxtel and Kayo Sports, including 10 exclusive fixtures during the home-and-away season. If you're not already onboard with Kayo, get around it here.

For those outside Australia, see how you can tune into the action here.

What about live scores, news and highlights?  

Cricket.com.au and the CA Live app and new Big Bash app will have live scores and match reports for every game of BBL|13 as well as wicket replays in the match centre to go with extended video highlights of every match!

We'll also keep you in the loop with extensive coverage of the latest news, talking points and player interviews from across the competition to bring fans closers to the action. Make sure you're following @cricketcomau and @BBL on social media so you don't miss anything throughout the season.

Wait, there's a Big Bash app?

Yep, you bet there is! New this season, the Big Bash app gives you the best of the BBL, and WBBL of course, direct to your phone. Key features of the new app include highlights in 'Stories' format specially designed to fit you phone screen, along with all the trending 'Moments' and behind-the-scenes action from across both competitions. You can also favourite you favourite teams and players for easy access to their latest stats, news and highlights. And of course, you'll get all the live scores, ball-by-ball commentary, highlights of every six and wicket, along with up-to-date news from across the men's and women's competitions. So what are you waiting for, download the Big Bash app from the App Store or Google Play today!

New rules?

After two batters received six runs for hitting the Marvel Stadium roof in the same match last season, Cricket Australia has scrapped the rule automatically awarding a six for launching the ball into the Marvel ceiling. The new rule that will be in place for BBL|13 will allow the umpires to decide if the ball was going to clear the boundary or not.

If they decide it was, they will award the batter six runs. If not, it will be ruled a dead ball. 

It's the third time the rule has been changed since the inception of the competition in 2011 and comes after the Renegades were cruelly robbed of two catching opportunities in the same match against crosstown rivals the Stars last season when Englishman Joe Clarke and Beau Webster skied shots straight up into the roof. On both occasions the ball landed within the 30-yard fielding restriction circle.

Another change for BBL|12 is third umpire referrals for stumpings will only review the stumping decision and no other methods of dismissal in a bid to minimise delays in play. Captains can still ask the third umpire to check other forms of dismissal but will need to use their review to do so, with each team allocated one unsuccessful Decision Review System (DRS) challenge per innings.

And following the introduction of the DRS last season, the third umpire will also use the technology to adjudicate no-balls in BBL|13. Consistent with what already takes place in men's international cricket, the third umpire will analyse the bowler's front-foot of all deliveries and any that are deemed front-foot no-balls will be identified and communicated to the on-field umpire to signal no-ball and a free hit for the batter. The third umpire can also assess waist-high no-balls if there is a wicket taken on that delivery.

And a new finals structure?

With the season length reduced, BBL|13 will be the first to feature a four-game finals series with the previous four seasons featuring five teams and five games. This season's finals series will be over in six days compared to the previous structure which took nine days to complete.

The new finals series will see the first- and second-placed teams battle it out on January 19 in the 'Qualifier' for direct passage into the Final. Third and fourth then play the following night in the 'Knockout', with the winner to play the loser of the Qualifier in the 'Challenger' on January 22. The winner of the Challenger will earn the right to face off against the winner of the Qualifier for the BBL's ultimate prize on January 24.

Any blockbusters?

Absolutely! In BBL|13 there with be two Melbourne derbies on January 2 (MCG) and January 13 (Marvel Stadium), and two Sydney Smash fixtures on December 30 (Sydney Showground) and January 12 (SCG).

There will also be two BBL|12 Final rematches between the Scorchers and Heat on January 10 (Gabba) and three days later at Optus Stadium. There's a Boxing Day double header too with the Sixers hosting the Stars and the Scorchers talking on the Renegades in the west. There's a double header on New Year's Day too with the Hurricanes hosting the Thunder (4pm AEDT at Blundstone Arena) before the Heat take on the Sixers in the second annual New Year's Bash at the Gabba (6.15pm AEST).

The Strikers' annual New Year's Eve match at Adelaide Oval returns for another year and they'll again face Melbourne Stars after more than 40,000 people attended last year's fixture. While there will be no Christmas Eve fixture this summer, there will be a December 23 double header with the Stars hosting the Thunder in Albury (3.30pm AEDT) before the Renegades travel to Hobart to take on the Hurricanes (7.15pm AEDT).

Is there going to be tipping? 

You bet there is. BKT Big Bash Tipping is up and running for BBL|13 so now is the perfect time to sign up and enter your tips. Simply pick the team you think will win each match this BBL season and you could win some epic prizes, including $10,000 for the top tipper. There's also nothing wrong with playing just for fun, so join or create a league to take on your friends, family and colleagues. It's free and easy to join, just head to tipping.cricket.com.au and sign in with your Cricket ID to get started.

And don't forget about SuperCoach

Put your knowledge to the test in the classic fantasy game for a chance to walk away with $25,000 in cash! Pick your squad and manage your team through the BBL|13 season to win great prizes, kudos and bragging rights among your mates. Head to supercoach.com.au to sign up.

Players to watch? 

Fresh off a World Cup triumph, Aussie white-ball stars Adam Zampa (Renegades), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis (both Stars), Josh Inglis (Scorchers) and Sean Abbott (Sixers) will all be in action for their respective clubs for the entire season, beginning on Thursday night when Maxwell and Stoinis travel to Brisbane to take on Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja's Heat in the season opener.

Khawaja and Labuschagne, along with Steve Smith (Sixers), will play the first game of the Big Bash season for their respective clubs before assembling in Perth with the Test squad.

Australia's BBL all-star T20 squad will return from India just in time for the opening matches of the season with the likes of Matt Short (Strikers), Chris Green, Tanveer Sangha (both Thunder) and Aaron Hardie (Scorchers) having earned international debuts over the four months on the back of their form in last summer's Big Bash. And there's plenty to play for this BBL season for those squad members with the likes of Matthew Wade, Tim David, Nathan Ellis (all Hurricanes), Jason Behrendorff (Scorchers) and Kane Richardson (Renegades) all aiming to impress with another T20 World Cup on the horizon mid next year.

Among other big names hitting form at the right time in Jhye Richardson (Scorchers) who made an electric return for WA in last week's Marsh Sheffield Shield clash with Queensland, taking four wickets in the first innings. State teammate Cameron Bancroft will also be hoping to hit the ground running at his new club after his high-profile switch from the Scorchers to the Thunder during the off-season.

And Heat duo Josh Brown and Spencer Johnson will be hoping to build on their breakout campaigns from last season with left-arm speedster Johnson also earning an Australia debut on the back of his BBL|12 form. Brown meanwhile warmed up for BBL|13 by smashing a 45-ball 112 against the Renegades Academy in a practice match last week.

What happened in the BBL|13 Draft?

Well, the Stars again tried to poach spin wizard Rashid Khan from the Strikers with the first pick but he was quickly retained by Jason Gillespie's side, so they settled for England dynamo Harry Brook instead. But in a twist, both players have pulled out of the competition with Brook citing his international workloads with England currently touring the West Indies, while Rashid has gone in for back surgery following the ODI World Cup. Fellow England international Rehan Ahmed has also withdrawn from the Sixers' squad due to workload management with England set to tour India from late January for five Tests.

It means the Sixers' retention of Tom Curran with the third pick will be the highest draft selection to feature in the competition this season. There's still plenty of quality overseas talent heading Down Under in BBL|13 with Quinton de Kock and Mujeeb Ur Rahman drafted by the Renegades, Alex Hales went to the Thunder, Haris Rauf to the Stars, Ashes foe Zak Crawley to the Scorchers, Colin Munro and Sam Billings to the Heat and Chris Jordan to the Hurricanes.

BBL|13 Draft recap: Strikers | Heat | Hurricanes | Scorchers | Renegades | Stars | Sixers | Thunder

Team to beat?

It's hard to go past the dual reigning champions the Perth Scorchers who despite losing Cameron Bancroft and potentially Mitch Marsh for the Test summer still have a stacked squad capable of taking out the title for third straight season. Last season's runners-up Brisbane Heat will again be a force having retained most of their squad from BBL|12, while the Renegades have transformed their list to one of the most experienced in the competition with the additions of Adam Zampa, Nathan Lyon and Peter Siddle during the off-season.

BBL|13 squads

(as at December 7)

Adelaide Strikers

Wes Agar, James Bazley, Cameron Boyce, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Travis Head, Adam Hose (England), Henry Hunt, Thomas Kelly, Chris Lynn, Ben Manenti, Harry Nielsen, Jamie Overton (England), David Payne (England), D'Arcy Short, Matt Short, Henry Thorton, Jake Weatherald

Ins: James Bazley (Heat), Brendan Doggett (Thunder), Jamie Overton, David Payne (Scorchers), D'Arcy Short (Hurricanes)

Outs: Harry Conway, Ryan Gibson, Peter Siddle (Renegades), Rashid Khan (injured)

Brisbane Heat

Xavier Bartlett, Sam Billings (England), Josh Brown, Max Bryant, Spencer Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan McSweeney, Colin Munro (New Zealand), Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Will Prestwidge, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson, Jack Wildermuth, Paul Walter (England), Jack Wood

Ins: Jack Wood, Paul Walter

Outs: James Bazley (Strikers), Mark Steketee (Stars), Sam Heazlett (Hurricanes)

Hobart Hurricanes

Corey Anderson (USA), Iain Carlisle, Nikhil Chaudhary, Tim David, Paddy Dooley, Nathan Ellis, Liam Guthrie, Sam Hain (England), Peter Hatzoglou, Sam Heazlett, Caleb Jewell, Chris Jordan (England), Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Billy Stanlake, Matthew Wade, Mac Wright

Ins: Corey Anderson, Nikhil Chaudhary, Liam Guthrie, Sam Hain (Heat), Peter Hatzoglou (Scorchers), Sam Heazlett (Heat), Chris Jordan (Sixers)

Outs: Wil Parker, Chris Tremain, Joel Paris (Stars), D'Arcy Short (Strikers), Tim Paine (retired)

Melbourne Renegades

Joe Clarke (England), Quinton de Kock (South Africa), Harry Dixon, Aaron Finch, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mackenzie Harvey, Ruwantha Kellapotha, Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson (c), Shaun Marsh, Fergus O'Neill, Kane Richardson, Tom Rogers, Peter Siddle, Will Sutherland, Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afghanistan), Jon Wells, Adam Zampa

Ins: Harry Dixon, Nathan Lyon (Sixers), Peter Siddle (Strikers), Adam Zampa (Stars), Quinton de Kock, Joe Clarke (Stars), Fergus O'Neill

Outs: Zak Evans, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris, Jack Prestwidge, Corey Rocchiccioli, David Moody, Fawad Ahmed

Melbourne Stars

Scott Boland, Joe Burns, Hilton Cartwright, Brody Couch, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Liam Dawson (England), Sam Harper, Campbell Kellaway, Nick Larkin, Glenn Maxwell, Usama Mir (Pakistan), Joel Paris, Haris Rauf (Pakistan), Tom Rogers, Mark Steketee, Marcus Stoinis, Imad Wasim (Pakistan), Beau Webster (replaced by Jono Merlo for first game)

Ins: Haris Rauf, Usama Mir, Scott Boland, Sam Harper (Renegades), Joel Paris (Hurricanes), Corey Rocchiccioli (Renegades), Mark Steketee (Heat), Imad Wasim

Outs: Adam Zampa (Renegades), Liam Hatcher, (Thunder), Sam Elliott, Clint Hinchliffe, Cameron McClure, Tom O'Connell

Perth Scorchers

Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Zak Crawley (England), Laurie Evans (England), Stephen Eskinazi (England), Aaron Hardie, Liam Haskett, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kelly, Mitch Marsh, Hamish McKenzie, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Sam Whiteman, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye

Ins: Zak Crawley, Laurie Evans, Liam Haskett, Hamish McKenzie, Sam Whiteman (Thunder)

Outs: Cameron Bancroft (Thunder), Cameron Green, Peter Hatzoglou (Hurricanes)

Sydney Sixers

Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Tom Curran (England), Joel Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Todd Murphy, Izharulhaq Naveed (Afghanistan), Steve O'Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Mitch Perry, Josh Philippe, Jordan Silk, Steve Smith, James Vince (England)

Ins: Tom Curran, Joel Davies, Mitch Perry

Outs: Dan Christian (retired), Nathan Lyon (Renegades), Mickey Edwards

Sydney Thunder

Cameron Bancroft, Oliver Davies, Liam Doddrell, Matt Gilkes, Chris Green, Alex Hales (England), Liam Hatcher, Zaman Khan (Pakistan), Nathan McAndrew, Blake Nikitaras, Alex Ross, Will Salzmann, Daniel Sams, Gurinder Sandhu, Tanveer Sangha, Jason Sangha (c), David Warner

Ins: Cameron Bancroft (Scorchers), Liam Doddrell, Liam Hatcher (Stars), Zaman Khan, Will Salzmann

Outs: Ben Cutting, Brendan Doggett (Strikers), Joel Davies (Sixers), Baxter Holt, Sam Whiteman (Scorchers)

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