Also read: List of 15 important cricket rules.
Melbourne Stars is ranked last on the list for the most dangerous team in BBL. The Stars will start their campaign without their skipper from the previous season, Glenn Maxwell. The Australian all-rounder injured his hamstring while fielding in the 3rd T20I between Pakistan and Australia. Among those who will be missing their matches for the Stars are Beau Webster, Scott Boland, and Ben Duckett. The three players will be playing for their respective test teams.
The burden of responsibility will rely on the experienced shoulders of Marcus Stoinis who will be leading the team. The batting all-rounder will be responsible for hitting boundaries lower down the order. Maxwell had announced his intention to step down from the role after captaining them for six seasons. With Adam Zampa gone the spin attack looks pretty weak for the Stars even after the inclusion of Hamish McKenzie along with Pakistan’s Usama Mir.
Melbourne Stars Head Coach: Peter Moores
Melbourne Stars Captain: Marcus Stoinis
Defending champions, Brisbane Heat like the Melbourne Stars will be missing some of their star performers from the previous season. The two-time champions are the 7th most dangerous team in the BBL. Skipper, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, and Nathan McSweeney will not be available for most of the season as they are part of the Australian test team. McSweeney who led the side brilliantly in the absence of Khawaja last season will be a big miss. Heat will also be missing the services of Josh Brown and Sam Billings have depleted their batting lineup.
Brown in particular with his century in the BBL 13 Challenger played a huge role in their second title. However, a strong bowling lineup including the likes of Xavier Bartlett, Spencer Johnson, and Michael Neser makes up for the losses in the batting department. New Zealand’s Colin Munro has signed a deal for another two seasons and will be at the helm of things at the top of the order.
Brisbane Heat Head Coach: Johan Botha
Brisbane Heat Captain: Usman Khawaja
David Warner’s captaincy ban from Cricket Australia has been lifted and he will return to lead Sydney Thunder. The Warner-led side is the 6th most dangerous team in the BBL. The Big Bash League now faces tough competition for both audiences and players from ILT20 and SA20. Thunder acquired the services of Englishman, Sam Billings who was being sought by several franchises of ILT20 and SA20. Their overseas pick of Lockie Ferguson and Sherfance Rutherford has bolstered their side with experience.
Thunder will hope their batters including Warner, Billings, Nic Maddinson, and Rutherford fire all through the season. With Daniel Sams and Chris Green, they have potent all-rounders. After finishing last in the previous season, the 2015-16 champions signed Wes Agar to strengthen the fast-bowling lineup. However, apart from Agar, Ferguson, and Sams, there seem to be serious doubts about the abilities of the pacers.
Sydney Thunder Head Coach: Trevor Bayliss
Sydney Thunder Captain: David Warner
Adelaide Strikers is the 5th most dangerous team in the BBL 2024/25. It is a story of two ends for the 2017-18 champions going into the 14th season. Their top order is as fearsome as it can possibly get. Skipper, Matthew Short with the likes of Chris Lynn, Jake Weatherald, and D’Arcy Short will only get better once Travis Head and Alex Carey return from national duties. However, their bowling looks the poorest among the eight teams.
Henry Thorton and Brendan Doggett, the two fast bowlers concede runs well above eight runs per over. Englishman Jamie Overton has the best economy among the fast-bowlers at 8.06 RPO. Spinners Lloyd Pope and Cameron Boyce will need to do the heavy lifting to ensure that their explosive batters are not chasing high totals in every game. They have added Fabian Allen to the mix whose international experience will be useful in all three departments.
Adelaide Strikers Head Coach: Tim Paine
Adelaide Strikers Captain: Matthew Short
Last year’s runner-up, Sydney Sixers are the 4th most dangerous team in the BBL. The Moises Henriques-led side will be expected to make it into the playoffs. Sixers have made it to the playoffs in each of the previous six seasons. The three-time champions therefore will be likely to make it to the last four once again. Among their ranks, the Sixers have one of the best skippers in Henriques and the highest wicket-taker in BBL, Sean Abbott. The addition of Akeal Hossein who is ranked fourth in the ICC T20I rankings will further strengthen the bowling attack.
James Vince, Daniel Hughes, and Josh Philippe will have their tasks cut out for them to make the best use of the powerplay. In the middle-order, Kurtis Patterson and Jordan Silk along with Henriques will be required to make the best use of their experience to provide finishing touches to the batting performances.
Sydney Sixers Head Coach: Greg Shepherd
Sydney Sixers Captain: Moises Henriques
Hobart Hurricanes is the 3rd most dangerous team in the BBL. In spite of having a good squad over the years, they have often underperformed massively. While the Hurricanes have failed to win the tournament even once, they cannot be taken lightly in the upcoming season. Nathan Ellis, Chris Jordan, Riley Meredith, and Billy Stanlake provide an interesting and strong fast-bowling attack. Afghan left-arm wrist-spinner, Waqar Salamkheil will add unique variety to the attack.
The signing of Shai Hope at the top of the order will allow their middle-order batters including Nikhil Chaudhary, Ben McDermott, and Tim David to bat in their favored positions. Hope and Matthew Wade is one of the most experienced opening duos in the tournament. If Chaudhary can play the role of the all-rounder in the squad then the Hurricanes could well go the distance in the next season.
Hobart Hurricanes Head Coach: Jeff Vaughan
Hobart Hurricanes Captain: Nathan Ellis
Perth Scorchers, the most successful team in the tournament is the 2nd most dangerous team in the BBL. The five-time champions have strengthened their team from the previous season by acquiring New Zealand’s Finn Allen. Allen is one of the most aggressive batters currently in the T20 setup. The 25-year-old rejected a central contract from New Zealand to focus on T20 leagues around the world. They also signed Matthew Hurst and Keaton Jennings to make their top order even stronger. Nick Hobson along with Josh Inglis and Aaron Hardie will be responsible for finishing the innings.
Ashton Turner will make a return to lead the team after picking up an injury last season. Their bowling line-up consists of Aussie quicks, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, and Lance Morris. Young fast bowling sensation, Mahli Beardman has also been given a contract and could play a vital role in the team. Ashton Agar using his experience will lead the lone spin-bowling attack.
Perth Scorchers Head Coach: Adam Voges
Perth Scorchers Captain: Ashton Turner
Melbourne Renegades is the most dangerous team in the BBL. Their batting order might be the strongest and on their day can easily make scores upwards of 220. Jake Fraser-McGurk, Josh Brown, and Laurie Evans together form the most powerful top orders in the league. The middle order with the signing of Tim Seifert and Jacob Bethell has improved even further after Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh retired in the previous season.
With Gurinder Sandhu, Kane Richardson, and Adam Zampa, the Renegades have an experienced bowling lineup. Rising fast bowler, Fergus O’Neill has also been signed for another two years. The right-arm fast bowler played two matches last season and picked three wickets. Tom Rogers as a bowling all-rounder and Will Sutherland as a batting all-rounder will provide balance to the squad. Cameron White has been named the head coach for the Renegades and will play an important role in getting the best out of the talent provided to him.
Melbourne Renegades Head Coach: Cameron White
Melbourne Renegades Captain: Will Sutherland
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