BBL, WBBL bring in 10-day trading window

A 10-day trading window will be allocated for the Big Bash League and the Women's Big Bash League after the conclusion of this season's editions.

It is also referred to as the "player movement window". The conclusion of the final of the BBL and the WBBL will see the framework being implemented for the first time ever 'to assist players and clubs to make earlier contracting decisions'. There will be three arrangements which will be left up to the teams. Teams can either trade a player with another club, sign a player from another franchise who is in the final year of their current contract, or trade overseas player draft positions as part or regardless of player trades.

While the trading window for the BBL will commence on January 28, 2025 at 9 am AEDT and end on February 6 at 5 pm AEDT, the same for the WBBL will be valid from December 2 to December 11. However, there exists one condition in which teams will not be permitted to extend contracts or re-sign their own players during the aforementioned stints. A WBBL side can have up to eight players prior to the window and 10 post it. As for the BBL, the numbers stand at 10 and 12.

Among the players with multi-year contracts in the WBBL are Lizelle Lee (Hobart Hurricanes Women), Chamari Athapaththu (Sydney Thunder Women), Sophie Devine (Perth Scorchers Women), Marizanne Kapp (Melbourne Stars Women), Nadine de Klerk (Brisbane Heat Women), and Amelia Kerr (Sydney Sixers Women). In the BBL, apart from Sam Billing (Sydney Thunder) who has a contract until the end of the subsequent season, Finn Allen (Scorchers), Colin Munro (Heat), Tim Seifert (Renegades), Chris Jordan (Hurricanes), and Tom Curran (Stars) have contracts running for the next two seasons.

Also Read: Lizelle Lee smashes 150*, achieves new WBBL record for highest individual score

The Windows will add certainty and stability for players and clubs: Dobson

The Executive General Manager, Big Bash Leagues, Alistair Dobson, iterated that the new policies would "add certainty and stability for players and clubs". He also thanked the clubs as well as the Australian Cricketers' Association for their cooperation.

"The introduction of Player Movement Windows immediately following the Weber WBBL|10 and KFC BBL|14 seasons will add another strategic dimension to our Leagues. The windows will add certainty and stability for players and clubs at a crucial period in the list management cycle. These new milestones on the Big Bash calendar will also increase talkability among our fans, broadcasters and the media as we grow our year-round presence. Our thanks go to our Big Bash clubs and the Australian Cricketers' Association for their collaboration on this project," stated Dobson, as quoted by Cricbuzz.

With this being the very first instance of such a policy being implemented, it will be interesting to see how it pans out.