Heat check: Lynn's Brisbane exit pushes reset

And so, after 11 seasons and a particularly lengthy showreel, the most celebrated player-club relationship in the history of the KFC BBL is over.

The news today of the Brisbane Heat parting ways with the tournament's record run-scorer Chris Lynn has divided fans and revived memories of remarkable deeds.

Whatever one's view on the Heat's decision to sever ties with their record-breaking batter, it is hard to argue against the idea that peak Lynn (which also means peak 'Bash Brothers', with Lynn's good friend and legendary Kiwi blaster Brendon McCullum in tow) was the BBL's hottest ticket; a fun, furious, free-wheeling assault on the senses that has had no equal in the competition when it comes to sheer entertainment.

"You look at Brisbane and our identity is based around 'Lynny' in a lot of ways," former Heat coach Dan Vettori once told cricket.com.au. "When people talk about the Brisbane Heat, they talk about Lynny, they talk about the style of play, they talk about how far he can hit the ball."

In 2015, Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara called Lynn "a force of nature almost … a guy I'd pay to go and watch, any time, in any format".

But let's brush nostalgia aside for a minute, and consider the future. Fact is, the upsides here for Lynn, the Heat and the competition itself could be significant. For starters, the tournament's most successful batter is now a free agent, a walking entertainment package ready and willing to be snapped up by the highest bidder.

Then add in what this means for the Heat, the wild card of the BBL who are trying to shed that unwanted reputation for something more ordered, or at least something that results in more finals appearances.

Where to now for Wade Seccombe's side? With Brisbane-based Usman Khawaja having recently announced his departure from the Sydney Thunder, and his wife Rachel having just had their second child, there seems a good chance Seccombe will secure the services of his state captain, a man who also happens to be Australia's hottest Test batter right now, one who boasts an outstanding Big Bash record and who has also been credited with playing a significant role in transforming the Queensland Bulls' culture across the past decade.

And what of Lynn? Which club/s will go in for him? What is the risk-versus-reward ratio? Does the six-hitting superstar still have it? How much is he worth?

Last summer, Lynn finished fourth among Heat batters in terms of runs scored, his 215 at 17.91 (one fifty) representing a shadow of his league-leading best from six summers earlier, which propelled him towards the landmark five-year, million-dollar deal with the Heat that has recently expired.

For Lynn, it was a second consecutive summer punctuated by COVID-19 complications and a frustration at the expanded schedule. Excuses? Maybe, but last season's poor returns were a one-off in the broader context of his career. 

To a degree, he has in recent years been a victim of his own outrageous high watermark; in BBL|10, his 420 runs were the third-most in the regular season but because his performances lacked the same pyrotechnics as in years gone by, they were broadly glossed over, even as the Heat reached the finals for just the second time since their title-winning BBL|02.

In the two seasons before that, he was the Heat's leading run-scorer, finishing 13th (BBL|09) and sixth (BBL|08) on the overall list, which means that even with his disappointing returns last summer, he still comes in at eighth on the BBL's run-scoring list across the past four tournaments combined.

All those numbers tell a simple story: Lynn has been quite consistent in recent years without scaling those ridiculous highs of BBL|05 and BBL|06, when he and McCullum ensured Gabba sell-outs became routine.

Should they have the spare cash to spend, some clubs will likely find the 32-year-old's legacy of sixes, runs and marketability difficult to ignore. Which begs another question: who can afford Lynn? Plenty of clubs have top-order batters locked in on long-term, high-end deals, which might mean the Queenslander has to accept a considerable pay cut if he is to sign elsewhere. Such a scenario could see him shun the competition altogether; he could potentially earn more in the Bangladesh, Pakistan and even South African domestic T20 tournaments that looks set to overlap with the BBL window.

But what of the other side of Lynn? The one who once outlined his modus operandi as: "Training hard, playing hard, whacking the ball over the fence, drinking beer and backing winners." Will clubs be cautious about signing a cricketing maverick, or will someone, somewhere, look at his runs, his cricket nous, and his force of personality, and see an ideal fit?

Perhaps a change of scene will invigorate and revitalise Lynn, stir a motivation that maybe stalled last summer amid challenging climes. Perhaps the right coach and the right club and the right conditions will reawaken the Lynn of old. Perhaps fatherhood – he and his partner are set to have their first child in September – will inspire him to new heights.

Current Heat captain Jimmy Peirson will be better for having a maiden campaign under his belt. The new skipper will likely still be wrapping his head around the magnitude of his task; producing consistent output from the Heat has been one of the competition's great challenges. Seccombe, too, will benefit from the experience of having now had a tournament in the hot seat, and both men will be better off if the Heat can land the cool-headed Khawaja, a man who knows the undulating fortunes of professional cricket better than most.

Just how influential Khawaja might be looms as another intriguing subplot. The Heat will have to bank on their possible star recruit playing every Test of the summer, though reports to date at least indicate the New Year's Test will be the last in the schedule, which would free up the left-hander for the business end of the Bash. And as Queensland captain and with a Bulls-heavy squad, as well as the tie-in of Seccombe as head coach of both, the 35-year-old could well make a mark before a ball has even been bowled.

Of course, until it all unfolds, none of this is certain. What we do know is this: the talking points of Lynn, and the Heat, and Khawaja, are all healthy ones for the Big Bash. The tournament has in recent seasons been maligned and written off – not unlike Lynn through the same period, which may or may not be a coincidence – and as the critics continue to point out the flaws, this narrative will bring with it buzz and hype and hope and excitement.

And that – again, like Lynn himself – is what the Big Bash is supposed to be all about.