With the 15th edition of the Big Bash League (BBL) underway Down Under, the T20 league is slowly nearing its business end. As the tournament gets intense, several franchises will now be boosted by the Australian Test players, who are coming after a 4-1 Ashes series win. However, Travis Head, Cameron Green and Scott Boland are set to miss remainder of the BBL season following a hectic Ashes series.
Head, who was Australia’s leading run-scorer in the Ashes 2025-26, amassing 629 runs, is set to undergo a short recovery as part of the workload management. Meanwhile this will be the third straight season Head will miss the Big Bash League, he aims to prepare for the T20 World Cup, set to be played next month in India and Sri Lanka.
Along with him, Cameron Green, who does not have a BBL contract, will also miss the BBL 2025-26 season after playing three Tests in the recently concluded series. He will work to regain full fitness ahead of the T20 World Cup after undergoing major back surgery in 2024. Scott Boland and spinner Nathan Lyon will also be missing the season due to workload management and a hamstring injury respectively.
Khawaja, Labuschagne, Steve Smith join respective BBL franchises
While Head, Green and Boland miss the ongoing BBL 2025-26, most members of the Ashes winning Australian Test team will return to Big Bash League on Saturday, January 10. Usman Khawaja, who retired from international cricket after the fifth and final Ashes Test, along with Marnus Labuschagne will join Brisbane Heat for their upcoming game against Sydney Thunder. Stand-in Test skipper Steven Smith will also join his BBL side Sydney Sixers along with Todd Murphy for their upcoming game against Hobart Hurricanes, who will also be boosted by the likes of opener Jake Weatherald and all-rounder Beau Webster.
The Ashes Player of the Series winner Mitchell Starc will join the Sixers after a few days’ rest for the Sydney derby scheduled for next Friday. Pacer Brendon Doggett will join Melbourne Renegades, whereas Michael Neser (Brisbane Heat), Alex Carey (Adelaide Strikers), Josh Inglis and Jhye Richardson (Perth Scorchers) will also join their respective franchises in the domestic T20 league.
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