The Big Bash League is starting again on the 10th of December, in 2020 after 9 previous successful seasons. This will be the 10th season and with their being several new rules being brought in to tweak the T20 format, and being played in a new environment – the bio bubbles and COVID – 19 precautions – the 10th season had had a lot of changes in squads and does have several big stars missing out as well.
The X – Factor rule that has come in brings a 12th player into the game, and that is as some people said on social media, like Chahal replacing Jadeja in the first T20I between India and Australia. The new player can prove to be the gamechanger as that basically means that the team can spend a few over, understand the pitch, understand how the other team is performing and then bring in a change if required, which can be especially beneficial at times when the pitch is not behaving as expected. But the attached catch, that the player being replaced cant have batted or bowled more than an over makes the decision a bit tougher, especially since the change can only happen at the end of the 10th over of the first innings, by when not a lot of pitch evolution is seen.
The Bash Boost puts in even more importance to how a team plays an innings, as even the 10 over mark in each of the innings will be now have a lot of importance, as there will be like a shorter T10 happening inside the 20 overs as well, in a way. But there is one disadvantage, as this does not leave the game like a simple T20 game, and kind of fixes a format for all teams to adhere to a little strictly, which may not be liked by the players and some fans. But on the bright side, this can also come to the rescue of some teams who are not being able to win the matches.
Probably the weirdest rule would be the Power Surge rule, under which the batting powerplay at the start of the innings is reduced to only 4 overs and 2 more overs of the batting powerplay can be used anytime after the 11th over. This shifts the game into the hands of the batting side just a bit. The shorter powerplay will give the batsmen their own share of issues as they are not used to the same but it might have a negative effect on the bowling side during the death overs, which are made exciting because of the current rules. Fielders spread all around, wickets in hand and the best bowlers bowling. With a powerplay that can be taken in the death overs, the teams may have the slight freedom to lose a couple more wickets earlier and get more runs on the board. This will also affect the bowling order as the powerplay may force teams to suddenly change their bowling plans. This puts a lot more pressure on the bowlers than the batsmen.
With several big stars having to miss out due to several factors including travel restrictions and other international fixtures, this may be less exciting in terms of the inclusion of stars and the international connection but this gives the stage to not only more Australian players but also more Australian players who are not playing for the international side.
The defending champions – Sydney Sixers – will be looking to clinch a consecutive BBL title. They will be starting the title defense in Hobart, in the first match of the season itself and will be facing the Hobart Hurricanes, in what will be a home-ground match for the latter. Sydney Sixers look one of the strongest sides on paper, and of course, how they will actually perform cannot be exactly said before they do play a match, as shown by the Indian Premier League 2020 as well.
The captain, Moises Henriques, has played 3 straight T20Is for the Australian side against the Indian Men’s team, and that means he has a lot of recent experience playing against and with some of the best players of the world, which should give him some good momentum to continue into the Big Bash League and lead his team. He is an all – rounder and that should add to his leadership. He has a good idea about bowling and batting, and should be able to lead his team, which is no less.
The overseas players for Sydney Sixers are some good heavyweights, which include Carlos Braithwaite, James Vince and Jason Holder, who is only available till the 29th of December, which may be a little unfortunate because he is a very in form player who can act as the pinch hitter towards the end of the innings, and can be especially utilized to keep the scoreboard moving fast, and he can also provide a lot of support to the bowling unit.
The other two overseas players are also great with Carlos Braithwaite and James Vince both playing for their respective nations but the main power lies in the hands of the Australian players out of whom Sean Abbott and Josh Phillipe seem like they will be promising but the likes of Mitchell Starc need to get into rhythm with their lines and lengths. Many have hinted that Ben Dwarshius, who has previously played for the Sydney Sixers in the last season itself, may be a good Australian talent. But that is definitely only if he is able to get into proper form. His bowling stats are magnificent and his economy was low throughout the last part of the season in BBL Season 9, but he hasn’t played an official match since. The bowling attack consisting of Mitchell Starc, Moises Henriques and Sean Abbott, who is an all-rounder already looks fairly strong but they need more depth and that is provided by their other bowlers, mainly Jason Holder, Steve O’Keefe, Ben Dwarshius and Lloyd Pope.
Other key all – rounders and batsmen include Carlos Braithwaite, James Vince, and also Josh Phillipe. Sydney Sixers seem to be a well composed side as such but can afford a little more batting depth and performance.
|A BIG BIG BIG BASH LEAGUE AWAITS|
spielens 