BBL delivers a festive season surprise

Christmas will come early for Big Bash fans with a December 24 double-header to kick-start the festive season.

The full BBL|08 season fixture will be officially unveiled on Wednesday morning, but key clashes have been confirmed, including a blockbuster Melbourne derby on New Year's Day that could see more than 80,000 fans pile into the MCG.

The eighth season of the BBL will expand to a full home-and-away season with 59 games, including finals.

The festive season action begins with a Christmas Eve spectacle with matches in Hobart and Sydney.

The Hobart Hurricanes will face the Melbourne Stars at Blundstone Arena from 3.45pm, before a Sydney derby with the Thunder hosting the Sixers at Spotless Stadium from 7.15pm.

The early match will be one of the 16 BBL|08 matches broadcast exclusively on Fox Sports while the Sydney derby will also be on Seven.

There will also be a WBBL fixture on Christmas Eve, with the Sydney Thunder facing the Hobart Hurricanes at 2.50pm, live streamed on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app.

There is no Christmas Day fixture this year, with that date set to be the calm before a storm of cricket action.

A Boxing Day bonanza of cricket will see the traditional December 26 Test match followed by two Big Bash games at Perth's Optus Stadium, with the men playing a curtain-raiser to a WBBL clash.

The Perth Scorchers will host the Adelaide Strikers in an afternoon timeslot that will see BBL|08 action immediately follow the opening day of the Boxing Day Test match.

Monday's WBBL fixture release confirmed the Scorchers would face the Brisbane Heat under lights, with that match starting at 7.45pm local time (10.45pm AEDT).

For the dedicated cricket fan, it will mean a marathon of up to 15 hours of cricket viewing.

The Adelaide Strikers have retained their now-traditional New Year's Eve fixture, and will face the Sydney Thunder at home on the final day of 2018, with the match broadcast on Seven.

The new year will start with an epic bang, with a Melbourne derby between the Stars and Renegades at the MCG a potential to rival the Boxing Day Test in terms of spectacle.

The corresponding fixture in 2016 saw a massive 80,883 spectators flow through the turnstiles and Melbourne's New Year derby could become a permanent fixture on the Big Bash calendar.

The 2019 version will begin at 7.15pm and be broadcast on Seven. Every match will be broadcast on Fox Sports, with 16 exclusive to the subscription service.