Big Bash League (BBL) 2015-2016 will kickstart from 17 December when Sydney Thunder lock horns with Sydney Sixers.
But before the tournament begins, here is a quick look at all the eight teams and their squads.
1. Perth Scorchers - The most successful franchise of the BBL, having won the tournament twice in a row. They will be setting their eyes on that trophy again to make it three on the trot. Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh and Adam Voges are the four Australian stars who will be crucial and form the core of the team. Not to forget, they have the veterans Brad Hogg and Michael Klinger as well.
Squad: Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Michael Klinger, Mitch Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Simon Mackin, James Muirhead, Joel Paris, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Adam Voges, Sam Whiteman, Brad Hogg, Michael Carberry, Marcus Harris, David Willey.
2. Sydney Thunder - Michael Hussey, Jacques Kallis, Usman Khawaja, Pat Cummins, Shane Watson, Andre Russell, Aiden Blizzard -- pretty big names right? With the inclusion of Watson and Russell, the Thunders have become a force to reckon with in the upcoming season of the BBL.
Squad: Aiden Blizzard, Pat Cummins, Fawad Ahmed, Jake Doran, Chris Hartley, Jacques Kallis, Andrew McDonald, Usman Khawaja, Alister McDermott, Gurinder Sandhu, Chris Green, Mike Hussey, Kurtis Patterson, Jonte Pattison, Ben Rohrer, Shane Watson, Andre Russell, Clint McKay, Ahillen Beadle.
3. Melbourne Renegades - They are one of the best teams on paper and if all the players perform to the expectations, they should be there or thereabouts to lift the BBL trophy. Aaron Finch and Chris Gayle at the top of the order can demolish any bowling attack under the sun. Cameron White will be an important player in this Renegades squad too.
Squad: Aaron Finch, Matthew Wade, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Callum Ferguson, Nathan Rimmington, Tom Cooper, Tom Beaton, Matthew Short, Nick Winter, Dwayne Bravo, Peter Nevill, Xavier Doherty, Chris Gayle, Nathan Hauritz, Peter Siddle, Chris Tremain, Guy Walker, Cameron White.
4. Hobart Hurricanes - With George Bailey, Darren Sammy, Dan Christian and last, but not the least, Kumar Sangakkara in the batting order, the Hurricanes batting lineup is pretty strong. They were the runners up of the BBL last season and this time they will want to go all the way and lift the trophy.
Squad: Tim Paine, Ben Dunk, Cameron Boyce, Darren Sammy, Jake Reed, Timm van der Gugten, Michael Hill, Sam Rainbird, Jon Wells, Beau Webster, George Bailey, Dan Christian, Clive Rose, Simon Milenko, Shaun Tait, Jonathan Wells, Dominic Michael, Kumar Sangakkara, Joe Mennie.
5. Adelaide Strikers - They were one of the semifinalists from last season. That has been their best run in the four seasons of the popular T20 tournament in Australia. The Strikers have added the likes of Mahela Jayawardene and Brad Hodge to their ranks to solidify their middle order. They will be eager to put on a good show in this season of the Big Bash League.
Squad: Michael Neser, Brad Hodge, Alex Ross, Ben Laughlin, Craig Simmons, Gary Putland, Kane Richardson, Tim Ludeman, Travis Head, Jono Dean, Jon Holland, Kelvin Smith, Mahela Jayawardne, Billy Stanlake, Hamish Kingston, Jake Lehmann, Adil Rashid, Alex Keath.
6. Melbourne Stars - The Stars have been in the semifinals in all the four seasons of the BBL, without managing to win the title. This time around they will be looking forward to lifting the trophy, riding on the talents of Kevin Pietersen, Glenn Maxwell, David Hussey and more.
Squad: David Hussey, Michael Beer, Scott Boland, James Faulkner, Sebastian Gotch, Evan Gulbis, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, John Hastings, Ben Hilfenhaus, Glenn Maxwell, Kevin Pietersen, Robert Quiney, Marcus Stoinis, Tom Triffitt, Daniel Worrall, Luke Wright, Adam Zampa.
7. Brisbane Heat - BBL 2014-2015 was an awful season for the Heat. Brisbane finished at the bottom of the points table, as they could only manage two wins. They will be looking to change that record in the upcoming season of the BBL.
Squad: Samuel Badree, Nick Buchanan, Joe Burns, Ben Cutting, Alex Doolan, Andrew Fekete, Luke Feldman, Jason Floros, Peter Forrest, James Hopes, Josh Lalor, Chris Lynn, Lendl Simmons, James Peirson, Nathan Reardon, Lendl Simmons, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, Jack Wildermuth.
8. Sydney Sixers - They were the first champions of the BBL and now they will want to regain their title after a long spell. They entered the semifinals last season, but they could not capitalise on the opportunity.
Squad: Sean Abbott, Doug Bollinger, Ryan Carters, Soumil Chhibber, Ed Cowan, Ben Dwarshuis, Brad Haddin, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Ming Li, Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson, Stephen O'Keefe, Jordan Silk, Jackson Bird, Johan Botha, Mickey Edwards, Michael Lumb, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.
