Sydney Thunder will kick off their hunt for the KFC BBL|13 silverware with a mouthwatering clash against the Brisbane Heat at Manuka Oval in Canberra, a feature of the upcoming season’s fixture that was today unveiled by the league.
The reduced 44-match schedule will feature a new look 40-game regular season and four-match finals series, culminating with the BBL Final on Wednesday, January 24.
Following their season opener in Canberra, Thunder will head to Adelaide to meet the Strikers on Tuesday, December 19, with both sides looking to add another chapter to their fraught history.
The Strikers, who were responsible for the Thunder’s now infamous ’15 all out’ last summer, were denied a spot in the BBL Finals as the men in green progressed through to The Eliminator, adding fuel to the fire ahead of this season’s first meeting.
Thunder will return to Lavington Sports Ground in Albury on December 23, with the match hosted by the Melbourne Stars at the same venue that saw a 10,000 strong Thunder crowd last summer, before heading north to the Gabba for a rematch with the Heat on Wednesday,December 27.
In the most anticipated match of the summer, Thunder will host cross-town rivals, the Sixers, in the Sydney Smash, on January 30 at Sydney Showground Stadium. One of the most heated contests in the competition each season, the stakes are set to be higher than ever following last summer’s sell-out crowd of 20,863 members and fans at the same venue.
After opening the new year in Hobart against the Hurricanes at Blundstone Arena on January 1, Thunder will host the reigning champions, the Perth Scorchers, on home turf on January 8, with the next generation of young guns – Thunder’s Ollie Davies and Matt Gilkes doing battle at Sydney Showground Stadium with Perth’s Cooper Connolly and Aaron Hardie.
The second Smash of the summer is set to follow at the SCG on Friday, January 12, with last summer’s corresponding fixture witnessed by 38,757 people.
A pair of home matches in Canberra and Sydney round out the side’s regular season.
Thunder will first host reigning BBL MVP Matt Short’s Strikers at Manuka on January 14, in the second of the side’s trips to the nation’s capital, before one of the most explosive hit outs of the season, facing the Aaron Finch led Melbourne Renegades in the 'Battle of the West’, on January 17, to complete the regular season.
Head of Sydney Thunder, Andrew Gilchrist said:
“We’re excited to be able to announce the club’s complete fixture for the upcoming KFC BBL|13 season. The club is really pleased with the schedule we’ve been able to deliver for our members and fans the upcoming summer and we can’t wait for December.
“Last summer we saw the impact the Big Bash can have, and we’re confident that this season will only build on the success of BBL|12. Our members and supporters are the most passionate in the league and we can’t wait to compete in front of Thunder Nation this summer.”
General Manager, Big Bash Leagues, Alistair Dobson said:
“We’re incredibly pleased and excited with the BBL fixture we’ve been able to deliver this season, with an array of highlights for fans to embrace throughout the summer period.
“The KFC BBL season will again compliment the overall shape of this summer’s cricket schedule, and with the season starting a week earlier than usual this season, we’ve got a tremendous opportunity to engage with communities and connect with fans across sevenblockbuster nights of Big Bash ahead of the first Men’s Test in Perth.
“All the fan-favourite fixtures return this season, and combined with the family-friendly entertainment that makes the Big Bash, high quality overseas talent via the BBL draft and world-class stadiums and regional venues, there’s no doubt BBL|13 is well positioned to build on the success of BBL|12.
“We’re looking forward to seeing the new finals structure in action, culminating in a prime-time Final during school holidays which is a real win for fans.
As announced last week, in conjunction with the signing of prolific run-scorer and sought-after off-season target, Cameron Bancroft, Thunder memberships are now on sale. Tickets for KFC BBL|13 season will be available on August 24.
The Weber WBBL|09 schedule is currently being finalised with the full fixture expected to be released in the coming week.
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Sydney Thunder BBL|13 Squad:
Head Coach: Trevor Bayliss
Contracted for BBL|13: Cameron Bancroft, Ollie Davies, Matt Gilkes, Chris Green, Nathan McAndrew, Blake Nikitaras, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Gurinder Sandhu, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, David Warner.