7 Players not available for BBL knockouts: After 40 league stage matches, these four teams have qualified for the BBL 2023/24 knockout stage: Brisbane Heat, Sydney Sixers, Perth Scorchers, and Adelaide Strikers. However, these teams will be missing some of their star players in the final round of the competition as they have flown to the UAE for their commitments to the ILT20 tournament.
Table-toppers Brisbane Heat will be without two players: captain Colin Munro and wicketkeeper Sam Billings. Nathan McSweeney will captain Brisbane from hereon.
The big miss for the Perth Scorchers will be Laurie Evans, the best striker of the tournament. The Sydney Sixers, too, will miss a key batsman in James Vince.
But the most affected franchise of the four is the Adelaide Strikers. They will be losing the services of all-rounder Jamie Overton, who is the joint-leading wicket-taker of the season; Chris Lynn, the third-highest run scorer of the season; and middle-order batsman Adam Hose.
7 Players not available for BBL knockouts:
- Brisbane Heat – Colin Munro, Sam Billings
- Sydney Sixers – James Vince
- Perth Scorchers – Laurie Evans
- Adelaide Strikers – Jamie Overton, Chris Lynn, Adam Hose
Why are BBL players leaving for the ILT20?
The answer is simple: more money for a shorter period of time. The ILT20 franchises, some of which are affiliates of IPL franchises, offer a much better deal for the players than the BBL franchise.
The ILT20 franchises have a spending cap of US$2.75 million on players’ salaries for a tournament that will run for four weeks. On the other hand, the BBL teams can spend a maximum of US$2 million on salaries for a seven-week tournament.
BBL 2023-24 knockout stage schedule:
- Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers, Qualifier at Carrara Oval, Queensland, on January 19
- Perth Scorchers vs Adelaide Strikers, Knockout at Perth Stadium, Perth, on January 20
- TBC vs TBC, Challenger on January 22 (venue to be decided)
- TBC vs TBC, Final on January 24 (venue to be decided)
BBL 2023-24 knockout stage format:
The second stage of the BBL 2023–24 will be played in the playoff format, as in the IPL. The top two teams in the points table will first meet in the Qualifier. The winner of the Qualifier will proceed to the final of the tournament, but the loser won’t yet be eliminated.
The third and fourth-placed teams will compete in the Knockout, with the winner advancing to the Challenger and the losing team getting knocked out of the competition. Then, the winner of the Knockout will face the loser of the Qualifier in the Challenger. The winner of the Challenger will be the second team in the final.
Also read:
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