Renshaw set to return as Heat look to 'challenge roles' in BBL|15

Brisbane Heat are poised to secure star batter Matthew Renshaw for next season and beyond as the club looks at ways it can assist New Zealand recruit Colin Munro better prepare for BBL|15.

The Heat have agreed to terms with Renshaw after his contract expired at the end of KFC BBL|14, with the new deal to be formalised once the league's contracting embargo lifts next month.

The club is also keen to land Marnus Labuschagne's recommitment for BBL|15 while also hoping not to see the Australian No.3 until after next summer's blockbuster Ashes series.

"We absolutely want Marnus on board, he's a huge part of the Heat," said Joe Dawes, the club's general manager of elite cricket.

"In his one game this year, we saw just how dangerous he can be in this format.

"It's just trying to find that balance between how much you pay those guys for how much you see of them.

"Marnus is one who has talked about making sure there's a really good balance there between helping the Heat out with his contract but also making sure that someone of his stature gets paid properly."

Usman Khawaja also looms as a crucial re-signing as he enters the final season of his four-year Heat deal next summer.

Although the Australian opener has only featured 11 times for the club across three seasons due to his Test commitments, the 38-year-old could play on in the Big Bash following his international retirement like David Warner at Sydney Thunder.

Renshaw's recommitment – although non-binding with contracts unable to be finalised while the embargo is in place – is a win for the Heat after he attracted interest from rival clubs following his 280-run campaign in BBL|14.

The 28-year-old left-hander hit 17 sixes with his tournament strike rate of 170 the highest of his eight Big Bash seasons.

"He obviously had a good Big Bash this year and is doing really well for Queensland as well. Matt is part of the fabric here and we look forward to having him in maroon and teal for quite a lot longer yet," Dawes said.

Meanwhile, New Zealand T20 journeyman Colin Munro is understood to be looking at the structure of his year and how it can prepare him for the Big Bash after managing just 46 runs in six appearances during a disrupted BBL|14 season.

Munro will return for a fourth straight season with the Heat in BBL|15 after signing a two-year deal last July.

The 37-year-old played in three 10-over tournaments last year in the months leading up to the start of BBL|14 in December.

The left-hander missed the Heat's season opener against Melbourne Stars after injuring his hamstring on the eve of the match and then dislocated his finger later in the season which saw him miss their final two games.

"We signed him for a reason; he's a great person around our group and he's been a good leader and a very good performer," Dawes said.

"He just had a bad year, which is cricket, but we're really looking forward to him coming back and delivering what we know he can do and being that senior batter for us when the big boys are away.

"It was a really disjointed tournament for him.

"We've had some really good chats at the end of the Big Bash about how we can help him prepare better and he's also looking at the structure of his year to make sure that when he comes back next year, he's in a really good place to do the job that he has done previously for us in the Big Bash."

Dawes believes the Heat have a list capable of challenging again next season and they wouldn't be making "wholesale changes" after slumping to seventh just 12 months after taking out the BBL|13 title.

"They don't become bad players overnight because we had a bad year," he said.

"It's going to be a really good learning experience for all the players that they can't just stand still, they need to constantly adapt and continue to improve and that'll be the feature of what we're taking into next year.

"We're really comfortable with the group that we've got; we've learnt a lot about them and ourselves this year.

"There will only be subtle changes to our crew, and we've come to non-binding agreements with a couple already.

"We're looking at really challenging some of our people and their roles … to make up for some of the areas that we weren't really at our best this year."