New trade window to shake up Big Bash contracting

The Big Bash is set to introduce a trade window immediately following the Weber WBBL and KFC BBL finals this summer, while several other changes have been made to the contracting process.

Dubbed the 'Player Movement Window', the 10-day period will start the day after the final, with the goal of streamlining the player movement process between clubs, and helping clubs and players to make earlier contracting decisions.

WBBL Player Movement Window: 9am AEDT Monday, December 2 to 5pm AEDT Wednesday, December 11. 

 

BBL Player Movement Window: 9am AEDT Tuesday, January 28, 2025, to 5pm AEDT Thursday, February 6.

During that time, clubs can trade a player with another club – noting this process does not necessarily need to be reciprocal, as seen this year when the Stars traded Nicole Faltum to the Renegades and received nothing in return.

Teams can also sign players from other clubs who are not contracted beyond WBBL|10 or BBL|14, and can trade overseas player draft positions, either alongside player trades, or on their own.

While the draft order itself will not be known until the lottery takes place, usually around the middle of next year, teams will know who finished in the bottom four (picks 1-4) and top four (picks 5-8) in WBBL|10 and BBL|14 and can trade based on that.

Clubs will not be able to re-sign or extend contracts of their own players during that period. 

Teams will also be bound by maximum list sizes. For the WBBL, a club may have up to 12 players on their WBBL list prior to the Player Movement Window, and 10 at its completion. 

For the BBL, a club may have up to 10 players on their BBL list prior to the Player Movement Window, and 12 at its completion. 

A club's pre-signed overseas player will count towards these limits, should they be contracted to the club on a multi-year deal. 

In the WBBL, this includes Marizanne Kapp (Stars), Amelia Kerr (Sixers), Chamari Athapaththu (Thunder), Lizelle Lee (Hurricanes), Nadine de Klerk (Heat) and Sophie Devine (Scorchers).

Smriti Mandhana (Strikers) and Hayley Matthews (Renegades) signed one-year contracts.

In the BBL, Sam Billings has signed with the Thunder until the end of BBL|16, while Colin Munro (Heat), Tim Seifert (Renegades), Chris Jordan (Hurricanes), Tom Curran (Stars) and Finn Allen (Scorchers) are contracted for the next two seasons.

Ollie Pope (Strikers) and Akeal Hosein (Sixers) signed one-year contracts.

A change to the regular contracting embargo period has also been made.

Both the WBBL and BBL contracting embargoes will begin following the final regular season game, having previously started when the first ball of the final was bowled. 

The 10-day Player Movement Window is the only time within the contracting embargo period that clubs may make any changes to their list – and as mentioned above, they cannot re-sign their own players during this time. 

The WBBL and BBL contracting embargoes are expected to lift in March 2025, when clubs can then add further players to their lists. 

"The introduction of Player Movement Windows immediately following the Weber WBBL|10 and KFC BBL|14 seasons will add another strategic dimension to our leagues," Cricket Australia's Executive General Manager Big Bash Leagues Alistair Dobson said.

"The windows will add certainty and stability for players and clubs at a crucial period in the list management cycle. 

"These new milestones on the Big Bash calendar will also increase talkability among our fans, broadcasters and the media as we grow our year-round presence. "