More games and new venues feature in expanded BBL fixture

THE Twenty20 Big Bash League is set to be bigger and better than ever in 2017-18.

Fixtures released on Monday delivered on Cricket Australia’s promise to expand the length of the competition.

The embattled governing body said back in January that it would aim to add as many as eight games to the home and away calendar.

Previous editions have wrapped up by the end of January, but both the BBL and WBBL campaigns will now run into the first week of February.

The semi-finals will take place on Thursday, February 1 and Friday, February 2, with the decider scheduled for Sunday, February 4.

The expansion means each of the eight Big Bash franchises will play an extra home game.

The new fixture list will also feature several new venues outside the state capitals, including Launceston in Tasmania.

“Both the BBL and WBBL are firm family favourites during the summer school holidays, and with even more matches we hope fans will continue to vote with their feet, support their club, and help us surpass last year’s attendance, which exceeded 1 million for the second consecutive season,” BBL boss Anthony Everard told reporters on Monday.

The #BBL07 fixture is here! Sync the schedule to your calendar here: https://t.co/iYiBFfd4mQ pic.twitter.com/88QwNDahkm

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) July 31, 2017

“The eight additional BBL matches for this season have been scheduled to complement the existing regular season fixture, take the BBL and WBBL to more locations, and encourage more people to give cricket a go.

“The opportunity to take matches to markets such as Launceston is particularly exciting as it represents the growing popularity of the Big Bash nationwide, and we are hopeful of extending the BBL’s footprint even further this season in partnership with the Thunder, Strikers and Renegades, who remain in discussions to take matches to new markets.”

The Women’s Big Bash League will commence on December 9, with the men’s tournament to kick off 10 days later.

Scorchers set the early pace in Big Bash betting

Perth Scorchers are the unsurprising early favourites to win the 2017-18 T20 Big Bash League.

Justin Langer’s largely homegrown charges have won three BBL titles in four years, only once failing to reach the final in six seasons.

Online bookmaker Sportsbet.com.au has them pegged as a +300 chance to hammer home their dominance with a fourth crown.

Perth’s closest challengers are Melbourne Stars – the only other team to have played in every edition of the Big Bash finals.

The Victorians are yet to convert that consistency into any tangible success, but they are rated at +450 odds to break that duck this season.

The Stars’ cross-town rivals, Melbourne Renegades, share a +500 with Sydney Sixers and Brisbane Heat – the surprise bolters in BBL 2016-17.

Hobart Hurricanes (seventh) and Sydney Thunder (eighth) propped up the table last season, and that is about where the pair of +900 outsiders are expected to stay.

2017-18 Big Bash League outright odds

+300 – Perth Scorchers

+450 – Melbourne Stars

+500 – Brisbane Heat, Melbourne Renegades, Sydney Sixers

+700 – Adelaide Strikers

+900 – Hobart Hurricanes, Sydney Thunder

Market courtesy of Sportsbet.com.au