BBL innovations shouldn't punish bowlers: Richardson

Melbourne Renegades bowler Kane Richardson says there's no reason the club can't return to the pointy end of the table in this summer's KFC BBL as he warned against introducing innovations that further punish bowlers.

Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts has flagged "exciting innovations" for the BBL that have been reported to include bonus points based on progress at the 10-over mark, allowing strategic substitutions, free-hits for wides and splitting the Powerplay overs.

A draft for overseas players is also among a host of ideas being considered by officials ahead of a landmark tenth season of the BBL, but Richardson, a regular in Australia's T20 set-up, says the quality of cricket will remain key.

"Bonus points, that would be great, I think it would make the ladder more interesting towards the backend of the tournament," Richardson said.

"I think I saw free hits if you bowl a wide, which I'm obviously not that keen on because we get that wrong occasionally so don't think we should be punished that harshly.

"It's a good conversation to have to make the BBL the best product we can, so I'll be keen to see what they can come up with so long as it's not something that's just punishing the bowlers.

"I think with all the innovations, it's a good discussion to have but in the end, the best selling point will be the standard of cricket.

"When people turn on the TV at night or come to the ground, they want to see high-scoring games, full of skill, albeit knowing as a bowler that means better pitches, faster outfields, even smaller boundaries.

"I think we are all used to it, (it’s) been that way for a while now.

"The quality of pitches is something that's maybe lacked in the last couple of years and they started to get that right last year.

"As long as the skill and the runs are there then think anyone will be happy."

CA's head of Big Bash Leagues Alistair Dobson said a wide range of options remained on the table.

"The Big Bash has a history of innovation and we're exploring a number of avenues to enhance the entertainment value and excite fans this summer," Dobson said in a statement.

"We are working through the relevant processes and consultation and by the end we're confident we'll have a good story to tell as we approach BBL|10."

After winning their first BBL crown in dramatic circumstances in a Melbourne derby to cap BBL|08, the club suffered a horror season last summer, suffering nine successive defeats before winning three of their final five games.

The Renegades are one of the competition's more settled sides at this point of the off-season, with 14 players already on their books for BBL|10 while Australia fast bowler James Pattinson has been linked with a return to the club after a stint with the Brisbane Heat.

Richardson said the slow start last season created a crisis of confidence in the club, which can easily be rectified with a fresh start for the competition's landmark season.

"The pieces are there, there's a lot of quality players in that team," Richardson said this week.

"Obviously there's an unknown around overseas players but I'm sure the recruiters will put together a decent list again.

"I think it's just guys having confidence, we didn't really have that last year.

"As long as we can start that tournament well, we should be around the mark.

"It was just one of those years (in BBL|09) … We lost a couple that were close and from then on we were chasing our first win and then got sucked into that mindset of 'is it happening again?' and then all of a sudden, we were 0-8.

"The good thing about the BBL is it's still a few months away.

"Our squad was really good; it's not lacking in skill, but it was just lacking in confidence.

"We've got plenty of time to make sure that doesn't happen again this year."

The Renegades have no internationals locked in for BBL|10 amid talks of potential player drafts as the competition grapples with the uncertainty of player availability caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Second-year coach Michael Klinger will be keen to get this area right after losing Pakistan pair Usman Shinwari (Test selection) and Faheem Ashraf (not released) on the eve of the BBL|09 season.

Englishman Richard Gleeson took seven wickets in eight games but leaked runs at more than 10 an over, as did BBL|08 hero Harry Gurney, who managed just three wickets in four games before a hamstring injury saw him replaced by 35-year-old allrounder Samit Patel.

Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi, a long-time fan favourite at Marvel Stadium, again impressed with 160 runs at 53 and a strike rate of 160 as well as five wickets and an economy rate of 8.73.

Melbourne Renegades BBL|10 squad (so far): Cameron Boyce, Dan Christian, Zak Evans, Aaron Finch (c), Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Jon Holland, Shaun Marsh, Kane Richardson, Will Sutherland, Beau Webster, Jack Wildermuth.