New finals structure revealed as BBL|13 schedule unveiled

The top two clubs at the end of the Big Bash's regular season will retain their double-chance under a new KFC BBL finals structure confirmed today by the league.

Cricket Australia (CA) has unveiled the 44-game schedule for BBL|13, which includes 40 home-and-away matches and a new-look four-game finals series featuring the top four clubs.

Brisbane Heat – last summer's runners-up – will launch the tournament's 13th edition when they host the Melbourne Stars at the Gabba on December 7 in the prime-time slot of 6.15pm local time.

It will be the third consecutive summer the Stars have featured in the opening game of the BBL season having lost a final-ball thriller when English wicketkeeper Joe Clarke let through four byes against Sydney Thunder at Manuka Oval last year, which was after they were rolled for 61 by Sydney Sixers a year earlier.

All clubs bar Adelaide Strikers, Hobart Hurricanes and the Thunder will play two games in the first week before the tournament goes on a five-day hiatus from December 14-18, where play in the first Test in Perth between Australia and Pakistan would have cut into the BBL's prime-time window on the nation's east coast.

It's one of several scheduling challenges faced by the league this upcoming summer, with men's international fixtures until mid-February meaning the December 7 start date is the second earliest in BBL history and the January 24 final a midweek finish for just the second time.

But the reduced season for BBL|13 (with clubs playing 10 home-and-away matches instead of 14), under changes in the season structure implemented 12 months in advance of a new seven-year broadcast deal between CA and the Foxtel Group and Seven West Media, has taken some of the heat off the league's scheduling headaches.

There are eight fewer double-headers this season (five compared to 13 in BBL|12), and there will be no games on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day as the league prioritises its biggest games in its best prime-time slots.

Those blockbusters include two Sydney Smashes (at the Showground on December 30 and SCG on January 12), two Melbourne derbies (at the MCG on January 2 and Marvel Stadium on January 13), while the Heat will host the first of two BBL|12 final rematches against the Scorchers at the Gabba on January 10, followed by the return leg at Optus Stadium three days later.

The Boxing Day double-header also returns with the Sixers hosting the Stars, and the Scorchers taking on the Renegades in the west, while the Strikers will again host their annual New Year's Eve clash at Adelaide Oval against the Stars.

"Christmas Day is one that is often raised (but) in the season we have with 40 games and our ability to schedule our biggest games in their best slots, we haven't seen this year a need for a Christmas Day game," said Alistair Dobson, CA's general manager of Big Bash Leagues.

"It's not something we have a firm policy on one way or the other. If in future seasons that looks like an option to explore, we would consider it and work with our stakeholders.

"But for this season and the shape of the season, it hasn't been required.

"A December 23 game for the Hurricanes is something they are going to build up to maintain that Christmas tradition."

Sydney Thunder will host the Renegades at the Showgrounds in the last match of the home-and-away season on January 17 before the finals get underway two days later.

Another scheduling challenge presented due to the international summer is the Strikers and Heat will be restricted in their ability to host finals at home due to Australia's two-Test series against the West Indies with Tests in Adelaide (January 17-21) and Brisbane (January 25-29).

The new finals series will see the first- and second-placed teams battle it out on January 19 in the ‘Qualifier’ for direct passage into the Final.

Third and fourth then play the following night in the ‘Knockout’, with the winner to play the loser of the Qualifier in the ‘Challenger’ on January 22. The winner of the Challenger will earn the right to face off against the winner of the Qualifier for the BBL's ultimate prize on January 24.

BBL|13 will be the first to feature a four-game finals series with the previous four seasons featuring five teams and five games, while the original structure for the first eight editions of the tournament involved four teams playing off across three matches with no double-chance for the top two.

This season's finals series will be over in six days compared to the previous structure which took nine days to complete.

"We're looking forward to seeing the new finals structure in action, culminating in a prime-time final during school holidays, which is a real win for fans," said Dobson.

"We're working through the final details of the Weber WBBL|09 schedule and look forward to unveiling it in the coming week."

Tickets for BBL|13 matches will be available on August 24.