Big Bash squads: How each team is shaping up

With BBL|11 now fewer than 100 days away, take a look at where the squads of all eight clubs currently stand.

The main contract list for each club has reverted to 18 players this season, including up to three international signings, after it was expanded to 19 players last summer to accommodate the additional international player.

Replacement players can still be signed if players are unavailable due to injury or international selection.

Adelaide Strikers

International players signed: 0

Spots filled on contract list: 12 out of 18

BBL|11 squad (so far): Wes Agar, Alex Carey, Harry Conway, Travis Head (c), Spencer Johnson, Harry Nielsen, Liam O'Connor, Matthew Renshaw, Liam Scott, Peter Siddle, Jon Wells, Daniel Worrall

BBL|10 players off contract: Danny Briggs (ENG), Rashid Khan (AFG), Phil Salt (ENG), Matt Short, Cameron Valente, Jake Weatherald

Having moved quickly to secure Peter Siddle for another season, the Strikers suffered a blow to their pace stocks as Michael Neser returned home to Brisbane to join the Heat.

The Strikers are yet to lock in any international players for this summer but star spinner Rashid Khan, who will be in Australia for Afghanistan's Test match in Hobart, has given every indication that he will return for another campaign.

Dashing opener Jake Weatherald is still yet to sign a new deal after cricket.com.au reported in February that the left-hander was likely to re-commit having attracted interest from both the Sixers and the Renegades.

Given top order stars Travis Head and Alex Carey may be out of action for much of the tournament due to Test duty, the Strikers may well be on the hunt for a star batter or two, which raises the prospect of a dream return for South Australian favourite Callum Ferguson, who was axed by the Thunder.

Brisbane Heat

International players signed: 2

Spots filled on contract list: 12 out of 18

BBL|11 squad (so far): Tom Banton (ENG), Xavier Bartlett, Tom Cooper, Sam Heazlett, Marnus Labuschagne, Chris Lynn, Jimmy Peirson, Michael Neser, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, Mujeeb Ur Rahman (AFG), Matthew Willans

BBL|10 players off contract: James Bazley, Max Bryant, Lewis Gregory (ENG), Matthew Kuhnemann, Ben Laughlin, Dan Lawrence (ENG), Morne Morkel, Jack Wildermuth

Having surprised many with a third-placed finish last season, the Heat have tried to keep the bulk of their squad together for this summer.

Marnus Labuschagne has signed a new deal but another favourite son, former Test opener Joe Burns, has headed south to join the Melbourne Stars.

The Heat have also welcomed back Michael Neser after nine seasons at the Strikers, and on Tuesday confirmedthe return of Afghan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

English opener Tom Banton also remains contracted having skipped last season's tournament for personal reasons, while Lewis Gregory may well be in Australia this summer with the England Lions squad, which could open the door for him to return.

Allrounders Jack Bazley and Jack Wildermuth are both uncontracted despite impressive performances last summer, while the club is yet to make an announcement on the futures of veteran fast bowler Ben Laughlin and young opener Max Bryant, who were both dropped at times during BBL|10.

The biggest change at the Heat surrounds the leadership of the side. Chris Lynn is stood down as captain and looks likely to be replaced by Jimmy Peirson, while Darren Lehmann has stepped back into an assistant coaching role, allowing Wade Seccombe to move into the main job.

Hobart Hurricanes

International players signed: 1

Spots filled on contract list: 14 out of 18

BBL|11 squad (so far): Scott Boland, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Peter Handscomb, Caleb Jewell, Sandeep Lamichhane (NEP), Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Joel Paris, Wil Parker, D'Arcy Short, Matthew Wade (c), Mac Wright.

BBL|10 players off contract: Keemo Paul (WI), Jake Doran, Nick Winter, Dawid Malan (ENG), David Moody, Tim Paine, Colin Ingram (SA), Will Jacks (ENG)

The Hurricanes have made a few tweaks to their squad as they chase an elusive maiden title, the most notable of which is the departure of James Faulkner after the two parties were unable to agree to terms on a new deal.

Hobart have added another left-arm quick in the form of Joel Paris from the Scorchers, while left-hander Caleb Jewell is also back having missed out on a contract last season.

The club have locked in a return for Nepalese leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane and may look for an allrounder and a middle-order batter to fill their other two overseas spots.

The good news for the Hurricanes is that with Matthew Wade dropping out of Test contention and the BBL to be played before the summer's limited-overs internationals get underway, they should have a stacked top order of Wade, D'Arcy Short and Ben McDermott available for most of the tournament.

Melbourne Renegades

International players signed: 0

Spots filled on contract list: 15 out of 18

BBL|11 squad (so far): Cameron Boyce, Zak Evans, Aaron Finch (c), Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Josh Lalor, Nic Maddinson, Shaun Marsh, James Pattinson, Mitch Perry, Jack Prestwidge, Kane Richardson, Will Sutherland.

BBL|10 players off contract: Jon Holland, Mohammad Nabi (AFG), Rilee Rossouw (SAf), Imran Tahir (SAf), Beau Webster, Noor Ahmad (AFG), Benny Howell (ENG), Imad Wasim (PAK)

With 14 of their 15 domestic slots already tied to multi-year deals, there has been little scope for new Renegades coach David Saker to make many changes to their list.

Nic Maddinson has signed on from the Stars, taking the final domestic slot and adding to the log-jam for top-order positions along with Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh, Marcus Harris and Sam Harper.

Cult hero Peter Hatzoglou has moved on to the Perth Scorchers while cricket.com.au has reported that Beau Webster is expected to go the other way to Maddinson and join the Stars.

The club's three remaining vacancies are all for international players, with veteran allrounder Mohammad Nabi likely to return if he takes part in Afghanistan's Test match against Australia in Hobart, while the club may also be looking for some added bowling depth.

Melbourne Stars

International players signed: 0

Spots filled on contract list: 13 out of 18

BBL|11 squad (so far): Joe Burns, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Seb Gotch, Liam Hatcher, Clint Hinchliffe, Nick Larkin, Glenn Maxwell (c), Tom O'Connell, Sam Rainbird, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.

BBL|10 players off contract: Andre Fletcher (WI), Zahir Khan (AFG), Nicholas Pooran (WI), Dilbar Hussain (PAK), Harris Rauf (PAK)

Having missed the finals last season, the Stars have already made a handful of changes to their list of Australian players, with more new names expected in the coming months.

Left-hander Nic Maddinson (Renegades) and fast bowler Lance Morris (Scorchers) have both departed, while Joe Burns has joined from the Heat and Beau Webster is also expected to sign from the Renegades.

The addition of Webster would still leave room for one more local player – Sam Whiteman has reportedly been in discussions about a switch from the Scorchers – as well as three internationals, and the Stars will be hoping for better luck on the overseas front compared to last season.

In BBL|10, Jonny Bairstow was a late withdrawal due to international duty, Dilbar Hussain was injured early in the tournament and Nicholas Pooran and Haris Rauf were only available for a handful of matches due to international commitments.

Perth Scorchers 

International players signed: 0

Spots filled on contract list: 12 out of 18

BBL|11 squad (so far): Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Aaron Hardie, Peter Hatzoglou, Josh Inglis, Mitch Marsh, Lance Morris, Kurtis Patterson, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye

BBL|10 players off contract: Cameron Gannon, Cameron Green, Liam Livingstone (ENG), Colin Munro (NZ), Jason Roy (ENG), Liam Guthrie, Corey Rocchiccioli, Joe Clarke (ENG), Sam Whiteman

The Scorchers have already made a significant change to their roster for this season, with veteran spinner Fawad Ahmed axed and young gun Peter Hatzoglou coming across from the Renegades to take his place.

Perth have also lost left-armer Joel Paris to the Hurricanes, while Sam Whiteman has been strongly linked with a move to the Stars, with both having played a minimal role in the west in recent seasons.

The Scorchers have secured a return for local speedster Lance Morris, who had been with the Stars, and they still have three domestic spots remaining, with Test allrounder Cameron Green one of those not yet contracted.

They are also yet to secure any internationals for this season, with Jason Roy, Liam Livingstone and Colin Munro all likely to be available for a return if a deal can be done.

However, with Jhye Richardson a chance to be on Test duty this summer, coach Adam Voges has indicated they might look use one of their international spots to replenish their pace stocks.

Sydney Sixers 

International players signed: 3

Spots filled on contract list: 17 out of 18

BBL|11 squad (so far): Sean Abbott, Carlos Brathwaite (WI), Dan Christian, Tom Curran (ENG), Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Mickey Edwards, Moises Henriques (c), Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Nathan Lyon, Ben Manenti, Steve O'Keefe, Josh Philippe, Lloyd Pope, Jordan Silk, James Vince (ENG)

BBL|10 players off contract: Justin Avendano, Jake Ball (ENG), Jackson Bird

The two-time defending champions have done us a favour here as we've basically had to just cut and paste their squad from last season.

Chasing a historic three-peat, the Sixers have opted for a tried and tested formula in filling 17 of their 18 spots already, with Jackson Bird expected to be confirmed as the final piece of the puzzle in the coming months.

The only concern for head coach Greg Shipperd, who has also signed a new deal, will be around player availability. English pair James Vince and Tom Curran are both outsides chances of being a part of England's Ashes squad, which would effectively rule them out for the season, while they would also miss a handful of matches early in the tournament if they're named in the secondary Lions squad.

But having won back-to-back titles, no one can blame the Sixers for taking the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' approach to BBL|11.

Sydney Thunder 

International players signed: 1

Spots filled on contract list: 14 out of 18

BBL|11 squad (so far): Jonathan Cook, Ben Cutting, Oliver Davies, Brendan Doggett, Matt Gilkes, Chris Green, Alex Hales (ENG), Baxter Holt, Usman Khawaja, Nathan McAndrew, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, Chris Tremain

BBL|10 players off contract: Sam Billings (ENG), Adam Milne (NZ), Arjun Nair, Jason Sangha

Despite making major changes to the leadership of their side in the off-season, the Thunder look likely to carry a similar squad into BBL|11.

Kiwi coach Shane Bond has pulled out for family reasons, but the Thunder lose nothing in the recruitment of veteran mentor and World Cup winner, Trevor Bayliss.

The major shock of the off-season was the axing of skipper Callum Ferguson despite another strong season, with Usman Khawaja the favourite to take over the leadership of the side.

The other major off-season move was securing young gun Oliver Davies on a multi-year contract, while England star Alex Hales, paceman Brendan Doggett and young wicketkeeper Baxter Holt have also signed new deals.

Arjun Nair and Jason Sangha are uncontracted but could take the final two domestic spots available, while Englishman Sam Billings could also be in line to return unless Test duty with England rules him out of contention.

Kiwi speedster Adam Milne is not expected to be back so just who takes the Thunder's final two international spots will be an interesting one to watch.