The T20 Big Bash League is going to start from 18 December, 2014 and ends on 28 January, 2015. There are eight domestic twenty20 teams in which different countries players will participate in the Big Bash League.
The tournament is competed by 8 city based teams; each state has a representative from its capital city apart from Melbourne and Sydney who have two teams each. Teams are allowed to sign up to 18 players and no less than 14 for the tournament and have a mixture of national and international players.
Adelaide Strikers
Adelaide Strikers have been one of the Big Bash League’s underperforming teams in the first two editions of the competition, finishing sixth and fifth to miss out on the finals in both seasons.
Captained by South African off-spinner Johan Botha, the Strikers will look to the likes of English T20 specialist Alex Hales, Callum Ferguson, Phil Hughes and Shaun Tait to climb into the top four this season.
Adelaide Strikers squad
J Botha*, JR Dean, TM Head†, BJ Hodge, JM Holland, HP Kingston, B Laughlin, TL Lawford, TP Ludeman†, KA Pollard, GD Putland, KW Richardson, AI Ross, CJ Sayers, SW Tait, RN ten Doeschate, A Zampa.
Brisbane Heat
Brisbane Heat enter this 2013/14 Big Bash League season as defending champions, having shocked Perth Scorchers at the WACA Ground in the final.
Coached by now-Australian coach Darren Lehmann, the Heat were mediocre for the majority of the season before turning the corner late and roaring through the finals series.
Brisbane Heat will again boast in impressive roster with the likes of Dan Christian, Mitchell Johnson, Shane Watson, Daniel
Brisbane Heat squad
James Hopes*, Samuel Badree, Nick Buchanan, Joe Burns, Daniel Christian, Ben Cutting, Ryan Duffield, Andrew Flintoff, Peter Forrest, Cameron Gannon, Mitchell Johnson, Chris Lynn, Alister McDermott, Simon Milenko, Jimmy Peirson, Nathan Reardon, Mark Steketee, Daniel Vettori, Shane Watson.
Hobart Hurricanes
Hobart looked set to back up their first-season finals berth with a repeat effort in season two, but a late-season collapse saw them miss the top four and subsequent finals series.
Things won’t get any easier in season three, with captain and Test batsman George Bailey being ruled out for the majority of the competition.
The Hurricanes will rely on the likes of Englishman Owais Shah, Travis Birt, Tim Paine and Ben Hilfenhaus to get them back into the finals contention in season three.
Hobart Hurricanes squad
GJ Bailey*, TR Birt, CJ Boyce, TT Bresnan, XJ Doherty, BR Dunk†, EP Gulbis, AD Hales, BW Hilfenhaus, JM Mennie, TD Paine, SL Rainbird, JK Reed, DJG Sammy, T van der Gugten, JW Wells.
Melbourne Renegades
Melbourne Renegades stormed through the group stage of the Big Bash League last season, winning seven of eight matches to rightly earn the tag of competition favourites.
Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, things fell apart when it mattered in the semi-finals and they were bounced out of the competition by Brisbane Heat.
Sri Lankan off-spin king Muttiah Muralitharan will lead the charge for the Renegades, alongside the likes of Aaron Finch, Alex Doolan and Peter Siddle.
Melbourne Renegades squad
AJ Finch*, BM Ashkenazi, TM Beaton, DJ Bravo, TLW Cooper, AJ Doolan, Fawad Ahmed, CJ Ferguson, JM Herrick, PM Nevill†, AW O'Brien, JL Pattinson, NJ Rimmington, BJ Rohrer, AD Russell, JD Ryder, MW Short, L Siaka, PM Siddle, MS Wade, NP Winter.
Melbourne Stars
On paper, the Melbourne Stars will go into this edition’s Big Bash League with one of the best line-ups and as such will be the favourites to go the distance.
Despite the absence of former captain Shane Warne, the Stars still boast the likes of Cameron White, Lasith Malinga, Clint McKay and Jackson Bird and should go close this season.
Melbourne Stars squad
CL White*, MA Beer, JM Bird, SM Boland, JP Faulkner, LW Feldman, PSP Handscomb†, JW Hastings, DJ Hussey, AR Keath, CJ McKay, GJ Maxwell, KP Pietersen, RJ Quiney, CA Rose, MP Stoinis, DJ Worrall, LJ Wright.
Perth Scorchers
The Scorchers have earned the unwanted tag of Big Bash bridesmaids after earning the right to host the decider in successive seasons, only to have been beaten at the WACA Ground.
Following a disastrous Champions League T20 campaign, former Test opener Justin Langer has been brought in to coach the side with Simon Katich as captain.
Katich aside, Langer will be able to call on Shaun and Mitchell Marsh, Adam Voges, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Pat Cummins in what looks another strong side for the Western Australian outfit.
Perth Scorchers squad
Adam Voges*, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Michael Carberry, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Brad Hogg, Michael Klinger, Mitchell March, Shaun Marsh, James Murihead, Joel Paris, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Sam Whiteman, Yasir Arafat.
Sydney Sixers
Up-and-down is probably the best way to describe the Sydney Sixers after two seasons.
In the first edition of the Big Bash League they upset the Scorchers in the final at the WACA Ground, and went onto to claim the double with the Champions League T20 trophy, before slumping to seventh in the second season of the BBL.
Test wicketkeeper-batsman Brad Haddin will captain the side, with the likes of Steven Smith, Steve O’Keefe, Marcus Lyon, Mitchell Starc and Moises Henriques firming as handy support.
Sydney Sixers squad
Brad Haddin (c), Dwayne Smith, Marcus North, Moises Henriques, Ben Dwarshuis, Nic Maddinson, Sean BJ Haddin*†, SA Abbott, J Anderson, DE Bollinger, RGL Carters†, TA Copeland, B Dwarshuis, MC Henriques, B Lee, MJ Lumb, NM Lyon, NJ Maddinson, SNJ O'Keefe, JC Silk, DR Smith, SPD Smith, MA Starc.
Sydney Thunder
Sydney Thunder earn the moniker of the Big Bash League’s underperformers, having finished stone, motherless last in the first two seasons of the Big Bash League.
The powers-that-be in Sydney’s west have rung the changes, with big-hitting opening batsman Chris Gayle being shown the door.
In comes Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan to bolster the batting, while Ajantha Mendis should work well in tandem with Luke Doran as the Thunder’s slow-bowling options.
Should he play, captain Michael Clarke will be invaluable to the team, which also includes the likes of David Warner, Gurinder Sandhu, Mike Hussey and Eoin Morgan.
Sydney Thunder squad
MEK Hussey*, AR Beadle, AC Blizzard, PJ Cummins, J Doran, CJ Green, CD Hartley†, NM Hauritz, DP Hughes, JH Kallis, UT Khawaja, C Kieswetter, JK Lalor, AB McDonald, EJG Morgan, DP Nannes, KR Patterson, GS Sandhu, CP Tremain.
