Cricket Australia announced a new finals format for the 13th season of the Big Bash League (BBL) on Thursday, with the 44-game schedule for the summer event.
The summer competition, which will feature 40 home-and-away matches and a new four-game finals series, will get off on December 7 at the Gabba with a match between previous season’s runners-up Brisbane Heat and hosts Melbourne Stars.
To limit the window, the matches were actually reduced under the redesigned structure and fixtures.
BBL 13 will conclude with a unique mid-week final. According to Fox Sports, each club will play 10 league matches until the top 4Â teams qualify for the knockout phase.
Previously, the BBL playoffs had five teams, each of which played 5 matches in the knockout phase.
After the first seven matches, the competition will take a five-day break from December 14-18 for Australia’s first Test against Pakistan in Perth.
Boxing Day and New Year’s Day will both feature doubleheaders.
The four-game finals series will culminate on January 24, with the final being played mid-week for the second time.
“We’re extremely pleased with the BBL fixtures we have been able to provide this season,” BBL general manager Alistair Dobson said when the 44-match series was announced.
The Perth Scorchers will defend their championship after defeating the Heat to capture a historic fifth title last season.
