BBL 2025

BBL 2025-26: The Ultimate Guide to Big Bash League 15 - Schedule, Squads, Global Reach

Nov. 13, 2025

As Australia's summer T20 extravaganza gears up for its 15th edition starting December 14, 2025, the KFC Big Bash League (BBL) continues to evolve into a compact, fan-focused powerhouse. BBL-15 promises 40 high-stakes regular-season matches across eight franchises, innovative rules like "Catch & Keep" (where fans pocket first-over boundary balls as keepsakes), and a blend of local legends and international stars within a crowded global calendar. BBL-14 delivered 971,346 total attendees, 1 billion Kayo streaming minutes, and 11.9 million TV viewers. BBL-15 aims for stronger growth. This guide brings verified information for fans, fantasy players, brands, and global viewers.

BBL-14 2024-25: Crowds, Screens and On-Field Fireworks

Across 44 matches, total attendance hit 971,346. This was a 7 percent year-on-year increase and the best since 2019-20. The average crowd reached 22,076 per game. Perth Scorchers led attendance at Optus Stadium with 192,534 total fans and an average of 38,507. Brisbane Heat set club records with 141,458 combined BBL and WBBL fans. Regional venues like Adelaide Oval and Manuka Oval grew by 20 to 25 percent, supported by family day-nighters and inclusive pricing. Viewership rose across platforms. Seven Network averaged 573,000 national free-to-air viewers per match. Cumulative reach was 11.9 million, the most-watched BBL season. Foxtel and Kayo combined for 911,000 average viewers across 34 games. Kayo logged 1 billion streaming minutes and 760,000 unique 7plus users. The Finals averaged 1.145 million viewers. The Grand Final (Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Thunder) peaked at 1.6 million and reached 2.95 million nationally. Hobart’s title run was powered by Mitchell Owen with 452 runs and Jason Behrendorff with 17 wickets. The Power Surge added 15 percent more sixes across the league. The season also created more than $150 million in direct spend across tickets, merchandise, and hospitality.

BBL-14 Performance Metrics and Year-on-Year Growth

Metric BBL13 Value BBL14 Value YoY Change Notes
Total Attendance (All Matches) 905,000 971,346 +7% Includes finals; Perth led homes
Avg. Crowd per Match 20,500 22,076 +8% Highest non-expansion avg. since 2017-18
Seven Avg. National TV Viewers 492,000 573,000 +16% 31 regular games covered
Cumulative TV Reach 10.5M 11.9M +13% Most-watched BBL season
Kayo Streaming Minutes 800M 1B +25% Record digital surge
Grand Final Peak Viewers 1.2M 1.6M +33% Hurricanes vs. Thunder; 9-year high

BBL-15 2025-26: Full Schedule

With momentum from BBL-14, Cricket Australia released a streamlined 40-match format on July 3, 2025. Each team plays a balanced load across six weeks with more afternoon matches for families. Perth Scorchers and Sydney Sixers open the season at Optus Stadium at 7:15 PM AEDT. The table below shows the full verified regular-season schedule:
Date Match Venue Time (AEDT)
Sat Dec 14 Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Sixers Optus Stadium, Perth 7:15 PM
Sun Dec 15 Melbourne Renegades vs Brisbane Heat GMHBA Stadium, Geelong 7:15 PM
Mon Dec 16 Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Thunder Blundstone Arena, Hobart 7:15 PM
Tue Dec 17 Sydney Sixers vs Adelaide Strikers SCG, Sydney 7:15 PM
Wed Dec 18 Melbourne Stars vs Hobart Hurricanes MCG, Melbourne 7:15 PM
Thu Dec 19 Brisbane Heat vs Perth Scorchers The Gabba, Brisbane 7:15 PM
Fri Dec 20 Sydney Thunder vs Sydney Sixers CommBank Stadium, Sydney 7:15 PM
Sat Dec 21 Melbourne Renegades vs Hobart Hurricanes Marvel Stadium, Melbourne 7:15 PM
Sun Dec 22 Sydney Thunder vs Brisbane Heat CommBank Stadium, Sydney 7:15 PM
Mon Dec 23 Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Stars Adelaide Oval 7:15 PM
Thu Dec 26 Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Stars SCG, Sydney 7:15 PM
Thu Dec 26 Perth Scorchers vs Hobart Hurricanes Optus Stadium, Perth 8:00 PM
Fri Dec 27 Brisbane Heat vs Adelaide Strikers The Gabba, Brisbane 6:15 PM
Sat Dec 28 Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder MCG, Melbourne 7:15 PM
Sun Dec 29 Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Renegades Blundstone Arena, Hobart 4:00 PM
Mon Dec 30 Sydney Thunder vs Perth Scorchers CommBank Stadium, Sydney 7:15 PM
Tue Dec 31 Adelaide Strikers vs Brisbane Heat Adelaide Oval 7:15 PM
Wed Jan 1 Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Sixers Marvel Stadium, Melbourne 7:15 PM
Thu Jan 2 Hobart Hurricanes vs Perth Scorchers Blundstone Arena, Hobart 7:15 PM
Fri Jan 3 Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Stars The Gabba, Brisbane 6:15 PM
Sat Jan 4 Sydney Thunder vs Hobart Hurricanes CommBank Stadium, Sydney 7:15 PM
Sun Jan 5 Melbourne Stars vs Melbourne Renegades MCG, Melbourne 2:15 PM
Mon Jan 6 Adelaide Strikers vs Sydney Thunder Adelaide Oval 7:15 PM
Tue Jan 7 Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Renegades Optus Stadium, Perth 6:15 PM
Wed Jan 8 Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Sixers MCG, Melbourne 7:15 PM
Thu Jan 9 Hobart Hurricanes vs Adelaide Strikers Blundstone Arena, Hobart 7:15 PM
Fri Jan 10 Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Thunder The Gabba, Brisbane 6:15 PM
Sat Jan 11 Melbourne Renegades vs Melbourne Stars Marvel Stadium, Melbourne 7:15 PM
Sun Jan 12 Sydney Sixers vs Hobart Hurricanes SCG, Sydney 2:15 PM
Mon Jan 13 Adelaide Strikers vs Perth Scorchers Adelaide Oval 7:15 PM
Tue Jan 14 Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Renegades CommBank Stadium, Sydney 7:15 PM
Wed Jan 15 Melbourne Stars vs Adelaide Strikers MCG, Melbourne 7:15 PM
Thu Jan 16 Hobart Hurricanes vs Brisbane Heat Blundstone Arena, Hobart 7:15 PM
Fri Jan 17 Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers Marvel Stadium, Melbourne 6:15 PM
Sat Jan 18 Sydney Sixers vs Sydney Thunder SCG, Sydney 7:15 PM
Sun Jan 19 Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Renegades Adelaide Oval 2:15 PM
Mon Jan 20 Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Stars Optus Stadium, Perth 6:15 PM
Tue Jan 21 Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers The Gabba, Brisbane 7:15 PM

BBL-15 Squads

The June 19 draft secured 24 overseas players. Each squad blends local talent with international stars, with a maximum of four overseas names per playing XI. Youth rookies are part of the squad structure. Usman Khawaja leads the Strikers. Tim David stays with the Hurricanes. Shaheen Afridi was the top draft pick for Brisbane Heat. Rashid Khan went second to the Strikers. Shadab Khan went fifth to the Hurricanes. Fans expect a Babar Azam announcement from the Sixers based on recent social media teasers. Cooper Connolly remains a popular fantasy pick under $90k. Squads (18 each)
  • Adelaide Strikers (c: Usman Khawaja): Khawaja, Ollie Pope (ENG), Rashid Khan (AFG), Alex Carey, Jordan Buckingham, Thomas Kelly, Harry Nielsen, Jamie Overton (ENG), Lloyd Pope, Ben Manenti, Henry Thornton, Kyle Boyce.
  • Brisbane Heat (c: Nathan McSweeney): McSweeney, Shaheen Afridi (PAK), Colin Munro (NZ), Xavier Bartlett, Max Bryant, Spencer Johnson, Lachlan Hearne, Michael Neser, Matt Renshaw, Jimmy Peirson, Will Prestwidge.
  • Hobart Hurricanes (c: Nathan Ellis): Ellis, Shadab Khan (PAK), Tim David, Caleb Jewell, Riley Meredith, Matthew Wade, Tim Rogers, Tom Rogers, Jarrod Freark, Brad Hope, Mitch Owen.
  • Melbourne Renegades (c: Nic Maddinson): Maddinson, Tom Rogers, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Kane Richardson, Josh Brown, Aaron Beard, Tom Stewart, Ruwantha Kellepitiya, Mitch Perry.
  • Melbourne Stars (c: Glenn Maxwell): Maxwell, Haris Rauf (PAK), Marcus Stoinis, Lockie Ferguson (NZ), Beau Webster, Hilton Cartwright, Joel Paris, Campbell Kellaway.
  • Perth Scorchers (c: Aaron Hardie): Hardie, Laurie Evans (ENG), Jason Behrendorff, Lance Morris, Ashton Agar, Finn Allen (NZ), Cooper Connolly, Sam Fanning.
  • Sydney Sixers (c: Moises Henriques): Henriques, David Warner, Steve Smith, Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Joel Davies, Todd Murphy.
  • Sydney Thunder (c: Chris Green): Green, Sam Billings (ENG), Daniel Sams (10-year extension), Tanveer Sangha, Blake Macdonald, Oliver Davies.

Audience Profile and Global Viewership

To understand the impact of the league, the CA Fan Survey (5,200 respondents) shows 42 percent aged 18 to 34 and 38 percent aged 35 to 54. Male share is 68 percent but female viewership grew to 32 percent. Urban households dominate, with 55 percent earning more than $100,000 AUD. Metro-based share is 62 percent, with Sydney and Melbourne contributing 45 percent. About 58 percent multi-screen. Around 45 percent participate in fantasy or betting. Gen Z drives most digital activity. BBL-14 reached more than 60 million viewers globally. In Australia, cumulative TV reach was 11.9 million with 95 percent national awareness. India recorded 55 million on Star Sports, driven by IPL alumni. The UK and Europe saw around 450,000 streams on Sky. New Zealand logged 120,000 on Spark. The US and Canada added 80,000 via Willow. Projections for BBL-15: more than 13 million domestic and more than 70 million from India, supported by star internationals.

Fan Buzz and Predictions

To build excitement, social media discussions have spiked. X conversations focus on new New Balance jerseys with fans calling them the “sleekest in cricket” (@Iamsujityadav). Daniel Sams’ 10-year Thunder extension received significant reactions. Hurricanes announced the Ponting Club with signed wines. Sixers teased a big announcement, leading to Babar Azam predictions (@uroojjawed12). Fantasy discussions highlight Cooper Connolly as a sub $90k value pick (@HoneyballBBL). Reddit and Quora comments praise the compact schedule over longer global leagues. Many expect more than 1.05 million in attendance.

Business Playbook

BBL attracts more than $115 million in annual sponsorship value. KFC extended its title rights. Toyota and Weber remain strong partners. Homestar Finance joined as Thunder WBBL principal partner. BBL generates an estimated $2.5 billion across the full ecosystem. BBL-14 alone created $150 million in direct spend and around 20,000 tourism and hospitality jobs. For sports apps and media, data integrations with Nielsen APIs increase retention by 35 percent. Cricbuzz recorded 49 percent more BBL alerts. Brands target affluent 25 to 44 metro audiences with 20 to 30 percent conversion lifts through geo-fencing. PwC forecasts 8.7 percent growth in sports.

Conclusion

BBL-15 is set for another year of packed venues, high streaming numbers, and global attention. With stars like Shaheen Afridi, Rashid Khan, Warner, and Maxwell, fans can expect quick games, power hitting, and tight finishes. The format is compact, the TV coverage is wide, and the fan interest is rising across Australia, India, the UK, and the US. If you build apps, websites, live score dashboards, fantasy platforms, or media content, you need real-time and accuracy. CricketAPI.com delivers official-grade ball-by-ball feeds, fixtures, squads, stats, and advanced metrics for BBL-15. You can integrate, test, and launch fast. Get the BBL API here: https://CricketAPI.com Sources: Cricket Australia official wrap cricket.com.au/news/4211880 Global sponsorship roundup cricexec.com/global-sponsorship ESPNcricinfo fixtures espncricinfo.com/series/big-bash-league-2025-26