Big Bash League season 12 fixtures revealed, tournament reverts back to traditional mid-December start

Melbourne [Australia], July 14 : Cricket Australia (CA) has revealed the schedule for the 12th season of the Big Bash League (BBL), with the opener taking place on December 13 between Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Stars at Manuka Oval.
Notably, Australia's Test cricket stars will get opportunities to participate in this tournament, with a January window being confirmed in which country's best red-ball stars will be available.
The Big Bash League has revealed the fixtures for the 12th edition and returned to its traditional mid-December start. A full seven-match schedule will be available for all eight clubs, something that was not possible in the previous two seasons heavily impacted by border restrictions.
Cricket South Africa's (CSA) withdrawal from January's three-match ODI series against Australia yesterday is expected to have a huge impact as white ball stars like Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa and Mitch Marsh will be free to play a full season for their clubs.
After Sydney's New Year Test from January 4-8, all of Australia's best players will have an opportunity to play in BBL which could serve as a boost to the competition which could not get these players available due to COVID-19 squad bubbles.
Usman Khawaja, who recently signed with Brisbane Heat after 11 seasons with Sydney Thunder and Adelaide Strikers wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey could be available for up to six matches to finish the home and away season.
Canberra will launch the 12th edition of the tournament with the clash between Syndey Thunder and Melbourne Stars on December, a day after Australia's day-night Test against the West Indies at Adelaide Oval is scheduled to finish.
Adelaide fans will not have to wait long for their next game home, with Strikers going to host Sydney Sixers in a rematch of last season's challenger final, which ended in a four-wicket victory for Sixers.
Sixers will also get a chance to avenge their defeat in last year's final against Perth Scorchers, with the rematch set to take place at Optus Stadium on December 17. This rematch of the 11th edition's final will be Scorchers' first home game in 374 days.
The regular season will conclude on January 25 with a double-header between Hobart Hurricanes and Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Stars and Sydney Thunder
The Eliminator, Qualifier and Knockout finals will be held from January 27-29. The Challenger and decider will take place on February 2 and 4.
BBL 12 is only a day shorter from start to finish than BBL 11.
"The reality is this is about as compressed as the season could be at the same time as (having) a really good flow," quoted Cricket.com.au Alistair Dobson, Cricket Australia's general manager of Big Bash Leagues as saying.
"It feels like we have a pretty solid footprint for the competition and there is no day-night Test matches in the BBL|12 window," he added.
"We have scheduled it in a way where that first week of matches is pretty strategic around school and summer holidays and still finishing the regular season before the end of January, which is always an important objective for us," he continued.
"I do like the rhythm then of the big build-up to the finals each weekend with Friday, Saturday, Sunday into a Thursday, Saturday final. After a few years of that finals system, it is starting to take shape and be a good end to the season," he concluded.
While the cancellation of the ODI series against SA has opened a window of three weeks for top Aussie players to take part, it is yet to see who will choose to do so.
Stars like David Warner, Steve Smith, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head and Cameron Green are without BBL deals. Pace duo of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins have indicated their intentions to skip the event, keeping international cricket as a priority with a tour to India scheduled for February-March 2023.
"Every player that represents Australia is someone the BBL would love to have playing and given the majority of those centrally contracted players are already part of the BBL, it's such an exciting part of the competition," Dobson said.
"Now that we have clarity on the BBL season and international schedule, it gives us and our clubs the opportunity to have another conversation with those players around whether they're able to participate and whether they have got the capacity given such a hectic (international) schedule they have got for the next 12 to 18 months," he added.
Big Bash League will be played at 17 grounds across Australia. This will also include three new venues, namely Lavington Sports Ground in Albury, Cazalys Stadium in Cairns and North Sydney Oval. They will host home games for Thunder, Heat and Sixers respectively.
Coffs Harbour, Geelong, Metricon Stadium, Manuka Oval, University of Tasmania Stadium in Launceston and Junction Oval will also host BBL fixtures, along with the eight traditional home stadiums.
The Melbourne derbies will be held at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on January 3 with the return leg on January 14. Sydney derbies will be held on January 8 at Sydney Showground Stadium and on January 21 on Sydney Cricket Ground.
The Strikers will host their traditional New Year's eve match against the Stars at Adelaide Oval, and the Hurricanes will hold their Christmas Eve afternoon game against Melbourne Renegades at Blundstone Arena.
Seven will show the 45 BBL12 matches live, including the finals. All 61 games will be broadcasted on Foxtel and Kayo.