<p>Australia’s domestic cricket crown jewel, the Big Bash League, is back and ready to thrill as it launches into its fifteenth season.</p> <p>There is plenty for cricket fans and punters to get excited about as we count down to another entertaining summer.</p> <p>International superstars, emerging young guns, and returning Australian players who have committed to joining once their Test duties are done will make this a bumper season of Big Bash cricket.</p> <p>The Hobart Hurricanes look primed to defend their maiden title, but the Sydney Thunder have been aggressive at the recruiting table as they push to go one better this time around.</p> <p>Then there are the Melbourne Stars, still chasing that elusive BBL title. Can they finally lift the trophy and give Glenn Maxwell’s glittering CV another honour? They remain the only BBL franchise yet to win a championship.</p> <p>With a T20 World Cup looming in February, this season’s Big Bash presents a chance for new names to emerge and for established members of the Australian squad to fine-tune their games in ideal conditions.</p> <p>Who will win it all? Who will score the most runs? Who will take the most wickets? Who will be the tournament MVP, and who will struggle to get going? We cover it all in our BBL 15 Season Tips and Predictions.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>BBL 15 - Full Squads</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Adelaide Strikers:</strong> Hasan Ali (PAK), Cameron Boyce, Jordan Buckingham, Alex Carey, Mackenzie Harvey, Travis Head, Thomas Kelly, Chris Lynn, Harry Nielsen, Jamie Overton (ENG), Lloyd Pope, Alex Ross, Jason Sangha, Liam Scott, Matt Short, Tom Straker, Henry Thornton, Luke Wood (ENG)</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Brisbane Heat:</strong> Shaheen Shah Afridi (PAK), Tom Alsop (ENG), Xavier Bartlett, Max Bryant, Lachie Hearne, Spencer Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan McSweeney, Colin Munro (NZ), Michael Neser, Oli Patterson, Jimmy Pierson, Matthew Renshaw, Callum Vidler, Hugh Weibgen, Jack Wildermuth</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Hobart Hurricanes: </strong>Rehan Ahmed (ENG), Marcus Bean, Jackson Bird, Iain Carlisle, Nikhil Chaudhary, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Rishard Hossain (BAN), Chris Jordan (ENG), Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Billy Stanlake, Matthew Wade, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster, Mac Wright</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Melbourne Renegades: </strong>Jason Behrendorff, Josh Brown, Harry Dixon, Brendon Doggett, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Caleb Jewell, Hassan Khan (PAK), Nathan Lyon, Fergus O’Neill, Ollie Peake, Muhammad Rizwan (PAK), Tom Rogers, Will Salzmann, Gurinder Sandhu, Tim Seifert (NZ), Callum Stow, Will Sutherland, Adam Zampa</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Melbourne Stars:</strong> Austin Anleazark, Scott Boland, Hilton Cartwright, Joe Clarke (ENG), Tom Curran (ENG), Sam Harper, Liam Hatcher, Campbell Kellaway, Glenn Maxwell, Hamish McKenzie, Jono Merlo, Haris Rauf (PAK), Tom Rogers, Peter Siddle, Mark Steketee, Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Swepson, Tom Whitney</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Perth Scorchers:</strong> Ashton Agar, Finn Allen (NZ), Mahli Beardman, Cooper Connolly, Brody Couch, Laurie Evans (ENG), Sam Fanning, Aaron Hardie, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis, Bryce Jackson, Matthew Kelly, Mitch Marsh, Lance Morris, Joel Paris, David Payne (ENG), Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Sydney Sixers:</strong> Sean Abbott, Babar Azam (PAK), Jafer Chohan (ENG), Sam Curran (ENG), Joel Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Ben Manenti, Todd Murphy, Mitch Perry, Josh Philippe, Kane Richardson, Lachie Shaw, Jordan Silk, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Sydney Thunder: </strong>Tom Andrews, Wes Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Sam Billings (ENG), Ollie Davies, Lockie Ferguson (NZ), Matt Gilkes, Chris Green, Ryam Hadley, Shadab Khan (PAK), Sam Konstas, Nic Maddinson,&nbsp; Nathan McAndrew, Blake Nikitaras, Aidan O’Connor, Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, Reece Topley (ENG), David Warner</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>What is the Format and Finals Structure of BBL 15?</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The tournament will run from 14 December 2025 and conclude with the final on 25 January 2026.</p> <p>Games will be held at Australia’s major Test venues along with selected regional grounds, including GMHBA Stadium in Geelong, Manuka Oval in Canberra, and Coffs Harbour.</p> <p>Each team will play ten home and away matches, with the points table and net run rate determining ladder positions and finals qualification.</p> <p>The finals structure features four matches. Finishing in the top two is crucial. First and second place meet in the Qualifier, with the winner progressing straight to a home Grand Final. The loser receives a second chance in the Challenger, where they face the winner of third versus fourth.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>BBL 15 - Season Tips and Predictions</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Who Will Win BBL 15?</h3> <p>The big question coming into this season of the Big Bash is who is going to be the one to derail the Cane Train?</p> <p>The reigning champions have only gotten stronger with their off-season additions and have plenty of room in the trophy cabinet down in Bellerive to add more silverware.&nbsp;</p> <p>Perennial contenders, the Sixers and the Scorchers cannot be counted out of this, as they are always there or thereabouts when it comes to the pointy end. And, the Thunder too looks like they will be primed to go one better with David Warner leading the charge for the lime green.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Stars will be hoping to bring a title home for Maxi, but will they have enough firepower around him?</p> <p>We’re backing the Canes to go back-to-back.</p> <p><strong>Betting tip: </strong><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/cricket/twenty20-big-bash/big-bash-winner-2025-2026-8919090">Hobart Hurricanes</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Who Will Finish Bottom of the Ladder in BBL 15?</h3> <p>It’s been tough going for the Renegades since they fluked a title win in BBL 08 in the Melbourne derby final at Marvel Stadium.</p> <p>Three bottom-placed finishes in a row and a stack of head coaching changes in that time have made it hard for the Gades to settle in and build a team.&nbsp;</p> <p>That’s what Cameron White is doing now with a young core as he heads into his second season in charge of the franchise.&nbsp;</p> <p>While he has some exciting international stars and some good experienced players coming into the team this year to hold the fort, it might be another tough year for the Gades as they continue to build and develop.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Betting tip: </strong><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/cricket/twenty20-big-bash/to-finish-bottom-9914301">Melbourne Renegades</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>BBL 15 Most Runs</h3> <p>Punters need to think like SuperCoaches here and think of who is going to be around for a full season.&nbsp;</p> <p>Which is why we’re probably looking away from any marquee international stars who are only set to be here for a set amount of games, or Australian Test stars who will only join once their Test commitments are all completed.&nbsp;</p> <p>Our eyes are drawn to the Aussie white-ball skipper Mitchell Marsh, who is fit and available for what should be a full BBL for the first time in a few years.</p> <p>If he gets going, he might be the wearer of the golden cap from start to finish!</p> <p><strong>Betting tip:</strong> Mitchell Marsh</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>BBL 15 Most Wickets</h3> <p>This might sound like a contradiction to our reasoning we gave before about staying away from internationals, but when you know one is out here for the whole tournament, it’s hard to go against him.</p> <p>Especially when he was the number one draft pick in the BBL draft and is one of the best short-form bowlers in the world. We’re talking, of course, about the Pakistani weapon that is Shaheen Shah Afridi, who will be lighting up the Gabba for the Brisbane Heat.</p> <p>Being able to swing the ball both ways, at pace, coming from the left arm angle, if he can play a full season, he will collect many, many wickets.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Betting tip:</strong> Shaheen Shah Afridi.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>How to Watch BBL 15</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The Big Bash League will be broadcast live on both Channel 7 and Fox Cricket/ Kayo Sports.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>BBL 15 Betting Odds:&nbsp;</h2> <p><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/cricket/twenty20-big-bash">Click to view all markets and bet on BBL matches and futures here</a></p>