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Another season of the T20 carnival called the Big Bash is upon us: the flag-bearer of innovation in the game, and a tournament where the game itself is as colourful as the jersey colours of the eight teams, the Australian domestic league witnesses players from all around the globe join hands with the country's best, to produce some of the most exciting passages of T20 play.
With just 10 days to go for the tournament to start, we take a look at how the teams line up this season:
Sydney Thunder
The lime green coloured Thunder side had a horrid start to their Big Bash career, finishing last in each of the first three seasons, and ending second from bottom in the season that followed. The change came in 2015-16, when the side finished in the upper half of the table, and ended as champions. After Michael Hussey's retirement, Shane Watson was appointed as captain in 2016, and has been the skipper of the side ever since.
In: Blake Macdonald, Callum Ferguson, Arjun Nair, Jos Buttler.
Out: Jake Doran, Alister McDermott, Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell.
Squad: Shane Watson (captain), Fawad Ahmed, Aiden Blizzard, Jos Buttler (OS), Pat Cummins, Callum Ferguson, Ryan Gibson, Chris Green, Jay Lenton, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell McClenaghan (overseas), Arjun Nair, Clint McKay, Kurtis Patterson, Ben Rohrer, Gurinder Sandhu, Blake Macdonald.
Brisbane Heat
The teal coloured, Brisbane-based franchise won the league in its second season, but haven't had a smooth passage ever since, failing to qualify for the semifinals even once in the subsequent years.
The team are led by the now-retired Brendon McCullum, who will be itching to help the side revisit their 2012-13 feat.
Out: Sam Badree, Alex Doolan, Andrew Fekete, Nathan Reardon, Jack Wildermuth, Tymal Mills
In: Max Bryant, Brendan Doggett, Shadab Khan, Matt Renshaw, Cameron Valente, Yasir Shah.
Squad: Max Bryant, Joe Burns, Ben Cutting, Brendan Doggett, Jason Floros, Cameron Gannon, Sam Heazlett, Shadab Khan (overseas), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Lalor, Chris Lynn, Brendon McCullum (Captain), Jimmy Peirson, Matt Renshaw, Alex Ross, Mitchell Swepson, Mark Steketee, Cameron Valente, Yasir Shah (international replacement).
Hobart Hurricanes
The Hurricanes, one of the biggest sporting franchises based out of Tasmania, haven't been able to clinch the title even once in six attempts. They came the closest in the first edition, ending as second placed in the table under the captaincy of Tim Paine.
The side are now led by former Australian captain George Bailey, whose first task will be to ensure they fare better than what they managed in the last two seasons, finishing seventh on both occasions.
Out: Stuart Broad, Kumar Sangakkara, Shaun Tait, Beau Webster, Jonathan Wells, Dominic Michael.
In: Jofra Archer, Tymal Mills, Tom Rogers, David Moody, Matt Wade.
Squad: George Bailey (captain), Jofra Archer (overseas), James Bazley, Cameron Boyce, Dan Christian, Hamish Kingston, Ben McDermott, Simon Milenko, Tymal Mills (overseas), David Moody, Tim Paine, Jake Reed, Sam Rainbird, Tom Rogers, Clive Rose, D'Arcy Short, Matthew Wade
Melbourne Stars
They have at their disposal the MCG, the largest stadium in the world, and the green-coloured giants have proved their worth as one of the biggest franchises in the tournament, both in popularity and performance. A team that have consistently fared well year after year, the Stars have qualified for the semi-finals in every single edition, finishing as table-toppers in 2013-14.
In: Jackson Coleman, Ben Dunk (Strikers)
Out: David Hussey (retired), Tom Triffitt
Squad: Michael Beer, Scott Boland, Jackson Coleman, Ben Dunk, James Faulkner, Seb Gotch, Evan Gulbis, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, John Hastings (captain), Ben Hilfenhaus, Glenn Maxwell, Kevin Pietersen (ENG), Rob Quiney, Marcus Stoinis, Dan Worrall, Luke Wright (ENG), Adam Zampa.
Melbourne Renegades
The other franchise based out of Melbourne, the red coloured Renegades have not been as successful as the Stars, but have always had popular stars in their ranks. This season, they made two big signings, bringing in Kieron Pollard and Mohammad Nabi, both proven T20 stars, in place of Sunil Narine.
Out: Peter Nevill, Peter Siddle, Callum Ferguson, Matthew Wade, Sunil Narine.
In: Tim Ludeman, Kane Richardson, Jack Wildermuth, Brad Hodge, Jon Holland, Joe Mennie, Mohammad Nabi, Will Sutherland (rookie), Beau Webster, Kieron Pollard.
Squad: Aaron Finch (c), Dwayne Bravo (WI), Tom Cooper, Marcus Harris, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, Jon Holland, Tim Ludeman, Joe Mennie, Mohammad Nabi (AFG), James Pattinson, Kieron Pollard (WI - international replacement), Kane Richardson, Matt Short, Will Sutherland (rookie), Chris Tremain, Guy Walker, Beau Webster, Cameron White, Jack Wildermuth.
Perth Scorchers
Hands down the most successful team in the history of the league, the Scorchers won back to back titles in 2013-14 and 2014-15, before effecting a rare triple with another title win last year. Adam Voges was elected as the skipper in the 2014-15 season after the retirement of Simon Katich, and has led the side with aplomb.
Out: Ian Bell (Overseas), James Muirhead
In: Cameron Green, Josh Inglis
Squad: Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Johnson, Michael Klinger, Mitch Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Joel Paris, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Adam Voges (Captain), Sam Whiteman, David Willey (Overseas).
Sydney Sixers
The other franchise based out of Sydney, the Sixers succeeded the New South Wales from the T20 Big Bash days, and won the tournament in their inaugural season in 2011-12. They followed it with a Champions League T20 win the next year, but haven't been able to repeat those exploits since. The magenta-coloured side finished runners-up last year, and will be led by Moises Henriques in this edition.
Out - Ryan Carters, Brad Haddin, Michael Lumb and Joe Mennie.
In - William Somerville, Henry Thornton, Harry Conway and Ryan Carters.
Squad: Sean Abbott, Sam Billings (overseas), Jackson Bird, Johan Botha, Ben Dwarshuis, Mickey Edwards, Jack Edwards, Moises Henriques (captain), Daniel Hughes, Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson, Peter Nevill, Steve O’Keefe, Jason Roy (overseas), Jordan Silk, Mitchell Starc, Henry Thornton
Adelaide Strikers
Successors to the Southern Redbacks, the Adelaide Strikers haven't won a title yet, and have found themselves somewhere in the middle of the table throughout the six seasons. They started off with Michael Klinger as captain in the first year, but now have Travis Head as their skipper, and former pacer Jason Gillespie as the coach.
In - Colin Ingram, Rashid Khan.
Out - Brad Hodge, Kieron Pollard, Adil Rashid, Tim Ludeman, Kane Richardson, Craig Simmons.
Squad: Wes Agar, Alex Carey, Jonathon Dean, Ben Laughlin, Jake Lehmann, Michael Neser, Peter Siddle, Billy Stanlake, Jake Weatherald, Colin Ingram, Travis Head, Kelvin Smith, Jonathan Wells, Rashid Khan
