BBL 2024

Cricket Australia’s marquee tournament, Big Bash League (BBL) is all set to return for its 14th edition on December 15 as Perth Scorchers will host Melbourne Stars at the optus Stadium in the opening clash. A new format has been designed for the upcoming tournament as the organizing committee has decided to shorten the tournament to 44 matches only, which includes four knockout matches.

Only the top four teams will advance to the next round under the new rules; the top five teams from the BBL Points Table used to be eligible for the knockout stages. Teams that place first and second will play each other in the January 21 qualifier to advance straight to the Final. In the Knockout, however, the teams ranked third and fourth square off. On January 24, the winner of the Knockout match will square off against the Qualifier's loser in the Challenger. 

The winner of the Challenger and the qualifier will then play the finals on January 27th, 2025.

Meanwhile, the tournament will once again clash with Australia’s international calendar. Teams like West Indies and Pakistan will be travelling for a Test series that is part of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle and thus, many of the national stars will be missing the upcoming edition of the BBL. 

Over the years, Big Bash has produced multiple thrilling encounters and kept the fans on the edge of their seats every single season. Notably, Perth Scorchers with five titles to their name is at the top of the BBL Winners List while Sydney Sixers with three stands right behind them.

Since there will be fewer teams participating in the competition, all of them will be fired up from the first game onward, thus the 2019 edition should be equally entertaining. As Adam Zampa and Sam Harper have already swapped teams, the Hobart Hurricanes have extended the contracts of two potent hitters, Ben McDermott and Tim David, and the teams have already begun packing their wolves for the upcoming campaign.