Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

This year’s edition of the Big Bash League (BBL) will be shortened by eight days and will run from December 18 to January 28, which mostly coincides with school holidays.

The tournament will begin with the Adelaide Strikers taking on the Melbourne Stars at the redeveloped Adelaide Oval on December 18.

Due to the shortened schedule, there will be at least one game everyday from December 26 to January 15. This was done to ensure that the season does not flow into February, like it did last year.

The Boxing Day match on December 26 will feature the Perth Scorchers squaring off against the Melbourne Renegades.

On New Year’s Eve, the Adelaide Strikers will host the Hobart Hurricanes.

The semi-finals are scheduled to be held on January 24-25 and the final on January 28.

“In just three seasons, the Big Bash League has established itself as clearly Australia’s most popular summer sporting league,” BBL general manager Mike McKenna said. “We hope that the fourth season of the BBL will be a school holiday staple for families across the country this summer. One of the league’s key objectives is to bring new fans to the game and the phenomenal numbers from last season showed just how much the public has embraced the great entertainment on offer.

“Last season an average of more than 930,000 people tuned into the BBL on Channel Ten, while crowd attendances averaged 19,000 – of which more than half were families and one in five were attending an elite cricket match for the first time.”

 

BBL SCHEDULE

Dec 18: Adelaide Strikers v Melbourne Stars, Adelaide Oval

Dec 19: Sydney Sixers v Melbourne Renegades, SCG

Dec 20: Melbourne Stars v Hobart Hurricanes, MCG

Dec 21: Sydney Thunder v Brisbane Heat, ANZ Stadium

Dec 22: Perth Scorchers v Adelaide Strikers, WACA

Dec 23: Hobart Hurricanes v Sydney Sixers, Bellerive Oval

Dec 26: Perth Scorchers v Melbourne Renegades, WACA

Dec 27: Sydney Thunder v Sydney Sixers, ANZ Stadium

Dec 28: Brisbane Heat v Melbourne Stars, Gabba

Dec 29: Sydney Sixers v Perth Scorchers, SCG

Dec 30: Melbourne Renegades v Sydney Thunder, Etihad Stadium

Dec 31: Adelaide Strikers v Hobart Hurricanes, Adelaide Oval

Jan 1: Perth Scorchers v Sydney Thunder, WACA

Jan 2: Hobart Hurricanes v Brisbane Heat, Bellerive Oval

Jan 3: Melbourne Renegades v Melbourne Stars, Etihad Stadium

Jan 4: Brisbane Heat v Adelaide Strikers, Gabba

Jan 5: Melbourne Stars v Sydney Sixers, MCG

Jan 6: Adelaide Strikers v Perth Scorchers, Adelaide Oval

Jan 7: Sydney Thunder v Hobart Hurricanes, Spotless Stadium

Jan 8: Perth Scorchers v Brisbane Heat, WACA

Jan 9: Sydney Sixers v Sydney Thunder, SCG

Jan 10: Melbourne Stars v Melbourne Renegades, MCG

Jan 11: Brisbane Heat v Sydney Sixers, Gabba

Jan 11: Hobart Hurricanes v Perth Scorchers, Bellerive Oval

Jan 12: Adelaide Strikers v Sydney Thunder, Adelaide Oval

Jan 13: Melbourne Renegades v Brisbane Heat, Etihad Stadium

Jan 14: Sydney Sixers v Adelaide Strikers, SCG

Jan 15: Hobart Hurricanes v Melbourne Renegades, Bellerive Oval

Jan 17: Sydney Thunder v Melbourne Stars, Spotless Stadium

Jan 19: Melbourne Renegades v Adelaide Strikers, Etihad Stadium

Jan 21: Melbourne Stars v Perth Scorchers, MCG

Jan 22: Brisbane Heat v Hobart Hurricanes, Gabba

Jan 24: Semi-final, TBC

Jan 25: Semi-final, TBC

Jan 28: Final, TBC