BBL 2025-26 to kick off on December 14, Ashes gap opens door for Test players to feature
"We have clear run of nights available from mid-December through to the end of January, where we can play the BBL every night, is one that adds up to a pretty strong season for us," said Dobson.
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The 2025–26 Big Bash League (BBL) is set to kick off on December 14 in Perth, with defending champions Perth Scorchers taking on Sydney Sixers in the season opener. This year’s schedule offers a rare treat, as Australia’s Test players will have an uninterrupted two-week window to participate in the BBL before the third Ashes Test begins in Adelaide on December 17.
The 40-match regular season will run until January 18, followed by the finals from January 20 to 25. The tournament will conclude on Sunday night, January 25, just before the Australia Day public holiday on January 26.
The fifth Ashes Test, scheduled in Sydney from January 4 to 8, creates another opportunity for Australian Test players to feature in the league. This 10-day stretch within the BBL schedule could allow participation, especially from select batters, while bowlers and all-rounders may use it as preparation ahead of the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup in February.
Alistair Dobson, Head of BBL Leagues, expressed optimism about the upcoming season, calling it a potential standout edition. He highlighted how recent seasons were affected by Australia’s packed Test calendar in January and February, which limited the availability of marquee players.
"We earmarked this season a while back. Anything we do around international summer is huge. But then to have a good, clear run of nights available from mid-December through to the end of January, where we can play the BBL every night, is one that adds up to a pretty strong season for us,” Dobson said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
"Inevitably, at other times, there are things that don't allow that, whether it's different scheduling of Test matches, whether it's the Australian team having content at the end of the summer, which might restrict potentially availability of some of our Test players and Australian players. So all those things in the mix this year give us confidence this is as good a year as we've had almost ever," he added.
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The BBL 2025–26 schedule has been strategically designed to allow every team a home game in the final week of the regular season, with the intention of enabling Australia’s Test players to represent their clubs both in that closing week and potentially in the finals.
The off-spinner Nathan Lyon is expected to make his debut for the Melbourne Renegades during that period. Despite being contracted for the past two seasons, Lyon has yet to play a game for the franchise. But several key Test players such as Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, and Cameron Green, are not contracted with any BBL team for the upcoming season.
"It'll ultimately come down to an individual case by case basis with players of how they've gone through the summer and what their recovery is like, and their availability. But certainly we see a great opportunity there for a number of them to come and play the back end of the season and through the finals, so hopefully that's a way to finish off a big season," Dobson said.
The BBL organisers opted not to extend the season by an additional week despite the possibility of allowing more appearances from key Australian Test players and overseas stars. This decision means players like Sam Curran, who could be available after the conclusion of the ILT20 on January 5, are unlikely to feature in a significant portion of the tournament.
"I think our season has found a nice spot where it is for now. In terms of that school holiday finish, we work really closely with our broadcasters and our clubs to find a window there that works for everyone. I think we've found a good rhythm in the past couple of seasons, particularly around finishing around the long weekend that was always our footprint that we set down from day one, and we think with the players that we picked up in the draft from around the world, shows that there's still lots of interest and excitement about coming and playing in the BBL,” Dobson added.
The BBL has once again chosen not to schedule matches on Christmas Eve (December 24), Christmas Day (December 25), or Australia Day (January 26) for the 2025–26 season. While the idea of a Christmas Day fixture continues to be explored, Dobson confirmed that it remains a topic of discussion and could be introduced in the future.
"Never say never, I think it's one of the ones where each year, when we sit down to lay out how the season might look. We consider it, and ultimately, the interest and the demand from our key stakeholders probably isn't there right now, whether that's broadcasters or clubs pushing into that particular day, albeit it's discussed regularly," he concluded.
Dobson expressed no concern over the prospect of three BBL 2025–26 matches being played at Marvel Stadium, despite the substandard pitch conditions that drew criticism during last season. The Melbourne Renegades are set to host three games at the venue, including a Melbourne derby. However, their first two home matches of the season will be played in Geelong.
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