Big Bash League, the marquee tournament of Cricket Australia is all set to make its return for its 13th edition on December 7 as Brisbane Heat will host Melbourne Stars at the Gabba in the opening match of the season. On the other hand, defending champions Perth Scorchers will take the field on December 10 for the first time as they will be hosting Melbourne Renegades on their road to defend the cup.

Notably, the upcoming edition of the BBL will see multiple changes as the tournament has been shortened to 44 matches this season. All the teams are thus scheduled to play 10 matches each in the league stage and then, the top four teams in the BBL points table will then move to the playoffs, instead of five like previously.

Meanwhile, the Qualifiers will be played in IPL style. The top two teams of the points table will take on each other in the Qualifier and the winner of the match will move directly to the final, while the losing team will have another opportunity to qualify. Next up, the third and fourth-ranked teams face off in the Knockout and the winner of the Knockout match will then play the loser of the Qualifier in the Challenger on January 22.

Later on, the winner of the Challenger and the winner of the Qualifier will take on each other in the final of the competition, which is slated to take place on January 24.

When it comes to the BBL winners list, the Scorchers with five titles to their name are at the top while Sydney Sixers are slightly behind with three titles. On the other hand, all the teams have started shopping for the upcoming season as Adam Zampa and Sam Harper have already switched sides while Hobart Hurricanes have extended the contracts of two destructive batters, Ben McDermott and Tim David. Notably, due to the series against West Indies and Pakistan, the national stars will once again miss the BBL action.

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