BBL 2026-27 Predictions and Big Bash Schedule

Last updated: 12 October 2026

BBL 2026-27 (BBL|16) starts on Saturday 12 December 2026 in Chennai, the first Big Bash match outside Australia. Eight teams play 44 matches, and the final is on 26 January 2027. This page will list our BBL match predictions and toss calls as we publish them.

BBL 2026-27 Schedule and IST Start Times

The BBL 2026-27 schedule has 40 league matches from 12 December to 17 January, then four finals. After the Chennai opener, there is a match every day from 15 December to 17 January except Christmas Day. Six of those dates have two matches.

Cricket Australia lists start times in AEDT (Australian Eastern Daylight Time), which is 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of IST. The tables below give every start time in IST. Most matches begin at 1:45pm IST, and the fixtures can still change. When we publish a BBL prediction for one of these matches, it appears in the cards at the top of this page.

December 2026

The Renegades host the Hurricanes at Junction Oval on Christmas Eve. On Boxing Day the Sixers play the Heat at the SCG, followed by the Scorchers against the Stars in Perth.

January 2027

Both Melbourne derbies are at the MCG, on 4 and 16 January. Last season’s finalists, the Sixers and the Scorchers, meet at the SCG on 10 January.

BBL 2026-27 Finals

The top four teams reach the finals, and the top two get a second chance:

• Qualifier, Tuesday 19 January: 1st v 2nd. The winner goes straight to the final and hosts it.
• Knockout, Wednesday 20 January: 3rd v 4th. The loser is out.
• Challenger, Saturday 23 January: the loser of the Qualifier v the winner of the Knockout.
• Final, Tuesday 26 January: the winner of the Qualifier v the winner of the Challenger.

BBL 2026-27 Teams and Home Grounds

Eight city-based teams play in the Big Bash League, and each plays five of its ten league games at home. The Melbourne Renegades have left Marvel Stadium after 15 years. They now play at the MCG and Junction Oval, and they are the home side for the Chennai opener. The Hobart Hurricanes play one game in Launceston, their first there since 2023.

The Perth Scorchers are the defending champions and have won six titles, more than any other club. The Sydney Sixers have won three. The Brisbane Heat have won twice (BBL|02 and BBL|13), and the Hobart Hurricanes won BBL|14 in 2024-25.

BBL 2025-26 Final

The Scorchers beat the Sixers by six wickets in the BBL|15 final at Perth Stadium on 25 January 2026. The Sixers made 132, with David Payne taking 3 for 18, and the Scorchers reached 133 for 4 with 15 balls to spare.

BBL|16 Squads: No Overseas Draft

There is no overseas player draft this season. Clubs now sign overseas players directly, with a limit of three on each club’s primary list, inside squads of 18. Squads were not yet full on 26 September 2026.

Signings confirmed by Cricket Australia include Ben Stokes at the Adelaide Strikers. Finn Allen has moved from the Scorchers to the Melbourne Stars, and Adam Zampa from the Renegades to the Hobart Hurricanes.

Cricket Australia says Australia’s all-format stars are unlikely to play in the BBL this summer. The New Zealand Test series ends in Sydney on 8 January, and the Test squad then leaves straight for India. The first Border-Gavaskar Test starts in Nagpur on 21 January.

New Rules for BBL 2026-27

Designated batter and fielder. Before the toss, a team may name one player from its XI who bats but does not field or bowl. It must then name a designated fielder, who swaps with that batter at the change of innings. The fielder cannot bowl but may keep wicket. Teams that skip the option play a normal XI.

Power Surge. Each innings starts with a four-over Powerplay. The batting side also calls a two-over Power Surge, from the 11th over onwards. In both periods, only two fielders may stand outside the inner circle.

Slow over rates. Each bowling side gets 84 minutes for its 20 overs. If the timer runs out, full Powerplay restrictions apply from the next ball to the end of the innings.

A designated batter lets a team pick an extra specialist batter. A slow over rate hands the batting side extra overs with only two fielders out.

BBL Prediction and Betting Tips: How Our Picks Work

The cards at the top of this page show our BBL match prediction for each team’s next published game. A card stays up until its match starts. Today’s BBL match prediction appears there once we publish it, and so does tomorrow’s.

A card shows our model’s win probability for both teams. It also gives our toss call: whether the side that wins the toss should bat or bowl first. Where we have the ground’s record, it also shows how often teams batting first and chasing have won there. The toss call links to a page with our full BBL toss prediction for that match.

Tap a card for the full preview. Each one covers the form of both sides, key players, the head-to-head record, the ground and conditions, and how our numbers compare with the bookmaker odds. Previews are free to read.

We published BBL picks last season too. Our prediction record lists every graded pick, BBL included, and updates as results come in. Toss calls have their own toss record, and today’s calls for every league we cover are on our toss prediction page. We also cover the SA20 and ILT20.