2019/20 Big Bash League season to be played within a shorter time frame
Cricket Australia has announced that it has reduced the length of the upcoming season of the country’s cash-rich T20 tournament, the Big Bash League, to ensure better participation from players and audiences. The move was made after feedback showed various sources requesting for the same.
Compared to the usual running period of 54 days of the Australian Big Bash League, this time around, the tournament will be completed in a mere 42 days, almost two weeks shorter than the norm. In what will be the eight-team event’s ninth season, the league will commence on the 17th of December with the final scheduled for January 27 next year.
The decision was taken following feedback collection from players, broadcasters and the fans. The shorter duration helped the board pick a suitable time frame for school goers such that the majority of the league is played out during their summer holidays. This will help increase the average attendance and make the tournament more accessible to families in general.
“No one that we had in through this process has had any objection to the shorter season. It was overwhelming feedback primarily from fans, but players wanted to play more cricket in a shorter period and all our key stakeholders were on board with that,” newly appointed BBL head Alistair Dobson was reported saying on Wednesday by Cricbuzz.
The change in fixtures will also allow international players to represent the franchises for a longer duration and thus help make the league more attractive to spectators. Moreover, Australia will only be playing six international white-ball matches at home until March next year, all of them T20Is. This makes the prospect of a domestic T20 league even more exciting.
Another change was made to the format as the association decided that the teams will be allowed to have as many as six foreign players under contract. However, a maximum of only two are allowed to take the field in any particular match.