The Big Bash League (BBL) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in Australia. It was founded in 2011 by Cricket Australia and replaced the previous competition, KFC Twenty20 Big Bash. The first season of BBL it started on December 16, 2011, with eight teams participating.
Initially, the tournament had only six city-based franchises: Adelaide Strikers, Brisbane Heat, Hobart Hurricanes, Melbourne Renegades, Perth Scorchers, and Sydney Sixers, but later two more were added: Melbourne Stars and Sydney Thunder.
Since its inception, BBL has gained immense popularity among fans due to its fast-paced, action-packed matches, which are played during summer holidays when most Australians have time off work or school. In fact, it has become one of the biggest domestic T20 leagues globally, attracting top players from around the world.
Over the years, there have been many changes made to improve this already successful tournament, including increasing the number of games per team each year as well as introducing playoffs for the semi-finals before the grand finale, which makes it even more exciting for viewership both at home & abroad!