2024 Australian T20 Big Bash League, Rules & Schedule

The Big Bash League is the most prestigious domestic cricket tournament of Australian Cricket based on a 20-over format. This tournament helped Australian Cricket to grow further and is a perfect platform for players to showcase their talent on the highest level and make a way into the National team.

This blog will discuss the history of BBL, the significance of the Big Bash Cricket League in Australian cricket, BBL Playing rules, teams participating in this league, and the usual schedule of this League.

A Brief History of Big Bash League

The Big Bash Cricket League was inaugurated in back in 2011. Before this league, the domestic tournament of Australian cricket was known as KFC Twenty20 Big Bash, as the fast food chain was the official title sponsor of this tournament. Later the name Big Bash League was accepted and KFC is still the title sponsor of this league.

Before 2011, the tournament consisted of 6 teams based on the state's names. However, this was later changed to 8 teams of different cities. Over the years, there were rumors of the expansion of this league and 4 other teams were considered. But those cities' teams. do not have the proper cricket hosting facilities and structure.

Then in 2015, the expansion was proposed again to include the teams from New Zealand. However, this didn't go as planned as the franchises were reluctant to due to logistics and other financial reasons.

Format of Big Bash Cricket League

The format of this Big Bash League for the upcoming season is changed from the previous seasons. Currently, the league will follow the same format for knock-out stages that most of the cricket leagues around the world follow.

However, the league stage matches have a different format. Each team plays twice with the other 3 teams on a home and away basis. While it will compete with 4 teams for a single match. So, every team plays 10 matches in the league stages of the tournament. This was done to make the league more competitive and shorten the time period of the league.

For every win, a team earns two points and in case of a tie in league stages, the points are shared between the teams. No points are added if a team loses the match. At the end of the league stage matches, teams are ranked on the points table according to number of points they scored.

Then, comes the knockout rounds where the top 4 teams on the table play matches to reach the ultimate final. 1st and 2nd positioned teams play the qualifier match and the winner reaches the direct final. The 3rd and 4th positioned teams play the Eliminator match where the loser of the match is eliminated from the tournament. Now, the loser of the Qualifier match and the winner of the Eliminator match compete in a Challenger match to qualify for the finals.

Teams Participating & their Home Grounds in BBL:

Teams	Home Grounds	Capacity
Adelaide Strikers	Adelaide Oval	53,500
Brisbane Heat	The Gabba, Brisbane	42,000
Hobart Hurricanes	Blundstone Arena	19,500
Melbourne Renegades	Marvel Stadium, Melbourne	53,000
Melbourne Stars	Melbourne Cricket Ground	100,000
Perth Scorchers	Optus Stadium	60,000
Sydney Sixers	Sydney Cricket Ground	48,000
Sydney Thunders	Sydney Showground Stadium	22,000

Rules & Regulations of Big Bash Cricket League:

Most of the basic T20 cricket rules are followed in the KFC Big Bash cricket League. However, there are a few exceptions in the league to make it more entertaining and thrilling.

1. Instead of flipping a coin for a toss, a bat is flipped by the home captain and the away captain chooses a side of the bat.
2. The powerplay rules are different from the normal T20 cricket regulations. The first powerplay in the Big Bash Cricket League is in the first 4 overs. Surge Power is the other powerplay that is introduced in which the batting team can choose 2 overs between 11th to 20th as a powerplay and the fielding team has to place only 2 players outside the 30-yard circle.
3. The Marvel Stadium has a roof and a new rule is introduced of the ball hits the roof. The umpires will decide whether it was going for 6 or not. If it was going for 6 runs, they would be awarded and in another case, the ball would be declared dead. This rule received severe criticism from the Australian cricket fraternity.

General Schedule of BBL:

The Big Bash League is usually held every year during the Australian Summer season and lasts from December to February. Therefore, the league starts in the first or second week of December and goes till the 3rd or 4th week of January.

This year BBL Season 13 will start on December 7, 2023, and the final will be played on January 24, 2024. overall, 44 matches will be played across different venues and the match usually starts at 7:15 PM local time in Australia.

Broadcasting Rights and Viewership:

Cricket Australia has released a list of all the major broadcasters of the Big Bash Cricket League across the globe. The following tables describe the channels that will broadcast the live transmission of the BBL matches in different countries.

The viewership of this event has been rising every year. Around a million people watched the live telecast of BBL matches of season 12. With so much popularity and viewership, the broadcasting rights cost millions of dollars and this generates a huge profit for Cricket Australia.

Records and Statistics of Big Bash League:

The following are a few records along with record holders in the Big Bash Cricket League history.

Top Run Scorers in BBL	Chris Lynn (3421)
Top wicket Taker in BBL	Sean Abbott (153)
Highest Score of BBL Team	Melbourne Stars 273-2 vs Hurricanes
Lowest Score of BBL Team	Sydney Thunder 15 all-out vs Strikers
Most Catches by a Player in BBL	Jordan Silk (70)
Most Sixes by a Player in BBL	Chris Lynn (194)
Individual Highest Score in BBL	Glenn Maxwell 154* vs Hurricanes
Best Bowling Figures	Daniel Sams (4/14 vs Sydney Thunder)
Highest Partnership in Big Bash cricket League	Marcus Stoinis & Hilton Cartwright (207 vs Sydney Sixers)