BBL expands its borders for 12th season

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

The full KFC BBL|12 schedule is set to be released on Thursday, but all clubs have today offered glimpses into the upcoming season, which begins after Australia's day-night Test against the West Indies at Adelaide Oval.

All eight clubs will host seven home matches this season, including reigning champions Perth Scorchers who will make their triumphant return to the 'Furnace' (Optus Stadium) after one game at home in BBL|11 due to Western Australia's COVID border restrictions.

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

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

Adelaide Strikers

The Strikers won't have to wait long to try and avenge Hayden Kerr and Sydney Sixers for their thrilling final-ball loss in last season's penultimate match, with Adelaide to open their season at against the BBL|11 runners-up at Adelaide Oval on December 14. The Strikers will also host Melbourne Stars in their traditional New Year's Eve match at Adelaide Oval, starting at 6.30pm (ACDT).

Brisbane Heat

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 the Gabba. The match will begin 6.15pm (AEST) meaning Heat fans will be well rested after seeing in 2023 the night before. It will be their first New Year's Day match at the Gabba, with their previous home fixture in BBL|09 on the Gold Coast.

Hobart Hurricanes

The Hurricanes will host their traditional Christmas Eve fixture for the fifth year in a row when they take on the Melbourne Renegades at Blundstone Arena. They will also start and finish their home fixtures at University of Tasmania Stadium in Launceston with mouth-watering match-ups against the Scorchers (December 19, 7.15pm) and Heat on the final day of the regular season (January 25, 1.40pm). They are also playing the Sydney Thunder on New Year's Eve with an early match in Albury. 

Melbourne Renegades

Nic Maddinson's side, who yesterday announced they had secured the services of young top-order batter Mackenzie Harvey until the end of BBL|13, will host the other New Year's Day fixture at Marvel Stadium against the Scorchers from 1.40pm. The match will mark Perth's return to their home away from home last season after they played six games at the Docklands venue in BBL|11, including their 79-run drubbing of the Sixers in the decider to clinch their fourth Big Bash title.

Melbourne Stars

Who's ready for Friday Night Lights at the MCG? The Stars will host two fixtures in the coveted slot both at family-friendly start times of 5.05pm (December 16) and 6.30pm (January 6) against the Hurricanes and Sixers. The Stars' third Friday home fixture will be at the Junction Oval against the Scorchers on December 23 at 3.30pm. "It's definitely part of our planning long term to have at least one game (per season) at the CitiPower Centre," said Stars general manager Blair Crouch. "We were a bit unlucky last year that we got hit by COVID just before that New Year period, so numbers were down on perhaps what we had hoped … but those that were there had a fantastic time and it presented really well on TV."

Perth Scorchers

The reigning champions will kick off their BBL|12 homecoming with a blockbuster grand final rematch against the Sixers at Optus Stadium on Saturday December 17 at 4.05pm (AWST). It will mark the Scorchers' first home game at the 'Furnace' in 374 days after spending all bar one match on the road last season. All seven of Perth's home fixtures at Optus Stadium will be night or day-night games.

"(It's) the perfect way to kick off our title defence and it's our first game there in over a year," said Perth Scorchers general manager Justin Michael. "We're thrilled to host an exciting fixture for our members, fans and partners, who have shown incredible loyalty the last few years despite seeing limited MBBL cricket in WA."

Sydney Sixers

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

The Sixers will once again take a match to Coffs Harbour on the state’s mid-north coast, while their remaining five home games will be played at the SCG.

Sydney Thunder

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

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

"We're excited to be expanding Thunder Nation to 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 trial matches in Albury – the Border Bash – and, as a club, Sydney Thunder is excited to take our team, fans, and sponsors to this community."