The BBL15 (Big Bash League season 2025–26) season kicks off December 14, 2025 and runs through until January 25, 2026, with 44 huge T20 games set to flood prime-time viewing in Australia this summer.
The Hobart Hurricanes were triumphant last season for the first time, leaving the Melbourne Stars as the only team yet to taste BBL success. Will that change this season or will the Hurricanes begin an epic BBL dynasty?
We take an early look at the BBL15 squads that have been assembled so far following the recent draft, rate their chances for success and provide a few early BBL tips for the season!
Adelaide Strikers
Coach: Tim Paine
Squad: Hasan Ali, Cameron Boyce, Jordan Buckingham, Alex Carey, Thomas Kelly, Harry Nielsen, Jamie Overton, Lloyd Pope, Alex Ross, Jason Sangha, Matt Short, Henry Thornton, Luke Wood
The Adelaide Strikers will once again have a big reliance on Matt Short to lead the way with Alex Carey often locked into international commitments and Travis Head remaining uncontracted. The signing of Jason Sangha from the Sydney Thunder adds youth and depth to their batting. They have added pace from overseas with Jamie Overton, Hasan Ali and Luke Wood, which should complement their solid spin options. Do they have enough firepower to compete with the top teams?
Brisbane Heat
Coach: Johan Botha
Squad: Shaheen Afridi, Tom Alsop, Xavier Bartlett, Max Bryant, Lachlan Hearne, Spencer Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Matt Kuhnemann, Nathan McSweeney, Colin Munro, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Callum Vidler, Hugh Weibgen, Jack Wildermuth
With the No. 1 draft pick, the Brisbane Heat secured Shaheen Afridi for a full Platinum contract, adding enormous firepower to an already potent pace attack that includes Xavier Bartlett, Spencer Johnson and Michael Neser. They have a large number of next tier domestic players which means their side shouldn’t be interrupted greatly by international duties, while also grooming rising talents like Lachlan Hearne, Callum Vidler and Hugh Weibgen. With depth in pace and experience at the top order, the Heat look like strong title contenders.
Hobart Hurricanes
Coach: Jeff Vaughan
Squad: Rehan Ahmed, Iain Carlisle, Nikhil Chaudhary, Nathan Ellis, Rishad Hossain, Chris Jordan, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Matthew Wade, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster, Mac Wright
As the reigning BBL champions, the Hurricanes have retained a strong domestic core, including re-signing Tim David and rising star Mitch Owen, but have also recruited Beau Webster and Jake Weatherald to add even more raw batting power. They have supplemented their local talent with overseas spin options Rishad Hossain and Rehan Ahmed, while seasoned campaigner Chris Jordan is back for another BBL season. They have enough weapons to go all the way again in BBL15.
Melbourne Renegades
Coach: Cameron White
Squad: Jason Behrendorff, Josh Brown, Harry Dixon, Brendan Doggett, Jake Fraser‑McGurk, Caleb Jewell, Hassan Khan, Nathan Lyon, Fergus O’Neill, Mohammad Rizwan, Tom Rogers, Tim Seifert, Will Sutherland, Adam Zampa
The Melbourne Renegades swung big in the draft, landing Mohammad Rizwan and Hassan Khan. They fortified the bowling with Jason Behrendorff and Brendan Doggett, to support a talented spin combination of Adam Zampa and veteran Nathan Lyon, if they can get them on the park together. With youth emerging like Harry Dixon and Jake Fraser‑McGurk, they have a good mix of talent but they need to be able to deliver on their potential.
Melbourne Stars
Coach: Peter Moores
Squad: Scott Boland, Hilton Cartwright, Joe Clarke, Tom Curran, Liam Hatcher, Glenn Maxwell, Hamish McKenzie, Haris Rauf, Tom Rogers, Peter Siddle, Mark Steketee, Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Swepson
The Melbourne Stars have retained a strong leadership core that includes Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell and Peter Siddle, while retaining the services of Haris Rauf and Joe Clarke as internationals. The Stars have brought in leg‑spinner Mitch Swepson, but their lack of depth might be exposed once again if their stars don’t fire.
Perth Scorchers
Coach: Adam Voges
Squad: Ashton Agar, Finn Allen, Mahli Beardman, Cooper Connolly, Laurie Evans, Aaron Hardie, Sam Fanning, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis, Bryce Jackson, Matthew Kelly, Mitchell Marsh, Lance Morris, Joel Paris, David Payne, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner
The Perth Scorchers re-signed Mitch Marsh to a long-term deal who will once again be the anchor that the side will build around. Joel Paris has come into the squad with familiar internationals David Payne, Laurie Evans and Finn Allen returning. The availability of Josh Inglis will also be a key part of their batting make up as he sits on the fringe of the international team. The Scorchers will be typically strong and should recover from missing the finals last season.
Sydney Sixers
Coach: Greg Shipperd
Squad: Sean Abbott, Babar Azam, Joel Davies, Jafer Chohan, Sam Curran, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Moises Henriques, Todd Murphy, Mitch Perry, Jordan Silk, Steve Smith
The Sydney Sixers have grabbed headline signing Babar Azam along with Sam Curran, pairing them with captain Moises Henriques and legend Steve Smith in another strong lineup. They have overseas spin options Jafer Chohan, strong pace depth with Sean Abbott and Ben Dwarshuis, and batting talent in Jordan Silk and Jack Edwards. There’s no real weaknesses in this lineup and the Sixers will be in contention once again in BBL15.
Sydney Thunder
Coach: Trevor Bayliss
Squad: Wes Agar, Tom Andrews, Cameron Bancroft, Sam Billings, Ollie Davies, Lockie Ferguson, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Shadab Khan, Sam Konstas, Nathan McAndrew, Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, David Warner
The Sydney Thunder have focused on proven overseas commitments, securing Sam Billings on a long‑term deal, along with Lockie Ferguson and Shadab Khan. With David Warner returning as captain and all‑round depth with Daniel Sams, Chris Green and Nathan McAndrew, they have plenty of weapons, however Jason Sangha is a significant loss from last year’s squad.
Early Predictions
With the BBL15 season still months away, and squads yet to be finalised, it’s hard to make a prediction as to who will ultimately raise the trophy this season. However the Hurricanes, Heat, Scorchers and Sixers look the strongest teams on paper, with a good mix of overseas signings, domestic depth and enough match-winning firepower.
Predicted Standings
1 Hobart Hurricanes
2 Brisbane Heat
3 Perth Scorchers
4 Sydney Sixers
5 Sydney Thunder
6 Adelaide Strikers
7 Melbourne Renegades
8 Melbourne Stars
