Big Bash League 2022/23: BBL teams, players and fixtures

The KFC Big Bash League is returning to provide cricket fans with a daily dose of T20 excitement following two years with COVID compromises. Hot on the heals of last month's T20 World Cup here in Australia, it's likely to be a magnificent season of soaring sixes and trick shots. Bucket hats from KFC are available.

Here is all the information you want on the next Big Bash League season.

When does the BBL 2022/23 start and end?

The Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Stars will face off at Canberra's Manuka Oval on Tuesday, December 13, to begin the 12th T20 season of the Big Bash League. On every day other than Christmas Day during the regular season, there are 56 games played across the nation. The playoffs and championship game will take place from January 27 to February 4 respectively.

See the full BBL fixture below for full games and venues.

Which teams are playing in BBL 2022/23?

This season, eight BBL clubs are back in competition, and both domestic and foreign players will take the field. Adelaide Strikers, Brisbane Heat, Hobart Hurricanes, Melbourne Renegades, Melbourne Stars, Perth Scorchers, Sydney Thunder and Sydney Sixers are the participating teams.

Who won last season’s BBL 2021/22 competition?

The Perth Scorchers upset their archrivals and defending champions, the Sydney Sixers, by an amazing 79 runs last January. The Scorchers and Sixers have faced off five times in a BBL final, with Perth winning each occasion by a score of 3-2. The Sixers will undoubtedly be motivated by retaliation this year.

Which team is the favourite to win the 2022-23 season?

The Sydney Sixers presently hold the top spot in Sportsbet's odds to win the championship at 4.50/1 despite losing the season's final (at the time of writing). Close following at 4.75/1 are the Hobart Hurricanes, while Perth, the defending champions, are third at 5.50/1.

Meanwhile, last year's biggest losers Melbourne Renegades are tipped to take home the wooden spoon again at 12/1.

Which team has won the most BBL titles?

With four championships to their record, the Scorchers' resounding victory over the previous season made them the most successful side in the BBL's 12-year history. There are 3 for the Sixers. The Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Stars have yet to win the overall title, whereas the Adelaide Strikers, Brisbane Heat, Sydney Thunder, and Melbourne Renegades have all done so once.

New rule changes this season

This season, exciting rule changes and additions are in store for cricket fans. The $2 million investment in the Decision Review System (DRS), which enables teams to contest umpire rulings like they do in other games, is arguably the greatest.

Both the controversial X-Factor substitution rule, which let teams to substitute in a new player after the 10th over in the first innings, and the disputed Bash Boost point rule, which awarded an additional competition point to the team with the highest runs after 10 overs, have been eliminated.

The BBL has implemented an innings clock this season, requiring the fielding team to begin the last over within 79 minutes. If they don't, they must play the remaining overs with only four fielders outside the 30-yard circle.

Squads for the Big Bash League

Adelaide Strikers

Wes Agar, Cameron Boyce, Alex Carey, Harry Conway, Ryan Gibson, Colin de Grandhomme (NZ), Travis Head, Adam Hose (England), Henry Hunt, Ben Manenti,Thomas Kelly, Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), Chris Lynn, Harry Nielsen, Matt Short, Peter Siddle, Henry Thorton, Jake Weatherald.

Brisbane Heat

Xavier Bartlett, James Bazley, Sam Billings (England), Max Bryant, Sam Heazlett, Spencer Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Colin Munro (New Zealand), Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Will Prestwidge, Matthew Renshaw, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, Ross Whiteley (England), Jack Wildermuth, Josh Brown, Sam Hain (England).

Hobart Hurricanes

Asif Ali (Pakistan), Tim David, Paddy Dooley, Nathan Ellis, Caleb Jewell, Shadab Khan (Pakistan), Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Joel Paris, Wil Parker, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Chris Tremain, Matthew Wade, Mac Wright, Jimmy Neesham (New Zealand). Replacement player: Zak Crawley (England).

Melbourne Renegades

Zak Evans, Aaron Finch, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Akeal Hosein (West Indies), Nic Maddinson, Shaun Marsh, Jack Prestwidge, Kane Richardson, Corey Rocchiccioli, Tom Rogers, Will Sutherland, Mujeeb ur Rahman (Afghanistan), Jon Wells, Ruwantha Kellapotha (Sri Lanka), Andre Russell (West Indies), Martin Guptill (New Zealand).

Melbourne Stars

Trent Boult (NZ), Joe Burns, Hilton Cartwright, Joe Clarke (England), Brody Couch, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Sam Elliott, Liam Hatcher, Clint Hinchliffe, Campbell Kellaway, Nick Larkin, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron McClure, Tom O’Connell, Marcus Stoinis, Beau Webster, Luke Wood (England), Adam Zampa.

Perth Scorchers

Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Peter Hatzoglou, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kelly, Tymal Mills (England), Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye. Replacement player: Faf du Plessis (South Africa).

Sydney Sixers

Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Dan Christian, Ben Dwarshuis, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Chris Jordan (England), Hayden Kerr, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Izharrulhaq Naveed (Afghanistan), Steve O’Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Josh Philippe, Jordan Silk, Steve Smith, James Vince (England).

Sydney Thunder

Ben Cutting, Oliver Davies, Brendan Doggett, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Alex Hales (England), Baxter Holt, Nathan McAndrew, Alex Ross, Rilee Rossouw (South Africa), Daniel Sams, Gurinder Sandhu, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, David Warner, Sam Whiteman. Replacement players: Fazalhaq Farooqi (Afghanistan), Usman Qadir (Pakistan)

Big Bash League fixtures

Here is the full BBL draw for season 2022-23.

Who's scored the most runs in a BBL innings?

Glenn Maxwell, the captain of the Melbourne Stars, scored an astounding 154 runs off just 64 balls last year (2.4 runs per ball). In response against the Hobart Hurricanes, the Stars scored the greatest BBL inning ever (2/173) thanks to his heroic effort.

Chris Lynn, a star pitcher for the Brisbane Heat who is currently playing for Adelaide, has scored 3005 runs overall from 100 innings. A stunning 180 to his credit makes him the highest six-hitter in the contest.

Who's taken the most wickets in a BBL innings?

When he was playing for the Melbourne Stars in 2012, Sri Lankan sensation Lasith Malinga set a record by taking 6 wickets for 7 runs against the Perth Scorchers. Rashid Khan of Adelaide came close to matching Malinga's accomplishment last year with 6 wickets off 17 runs, but it still has to be done.

Sean Abbott of the Sydney Sixers holds the record for the most BBL wickets ever with 125 in 94 games over 12 years.