Australian star pace bowler Mitchell Starc will be playing in the upcoming edition of the Big Bash League (BBL) 2025-2026. He will be turning up for the Sydney Sixers in the competition which is slated to start on December 14, 2025.
Starc’s return to the Big Bash League comes on the back of his recent retirement from T20 International cricket. Despite the T20 World Cup in 2026, he made the decision to retire from the format, as he wants to focus more on the longer formats.
The left-arm Australian pacer, who will play BBL 2025-2026 for the Sydney Sixers, will be featuring in the tournament for the first time in 11 years. He has signed as a supplementary player for the Sydney Sixers for the upcoming season. A supplementary contract player allows a Cricket Australia contracted player to join a BBL team without occupying a primary slot.
ALSO READ: Australia Under-19 Player Scored 341 Runs off 141 Balls in 50 Overs Match
Meanwhile, Mitchell Starc won’t be the only one to make a comeback in the upcoming season; there are a few more players who missed the last season but will feature in the 2025-2026 season. Find out below who will play BBL 2025-2026.
List of Players Who Can Make Their Comeback in BBL 2025-2026
Luke Wood
England’s left-arm pacer Luke Wood is going to make his comeback to the Australian T20 carnival later this year after a gap of 2 seasons. He last played in the BBL 2022-2023 season for the Melbourne Stars. He took 20 wickets in that season. He is back again for another go at it. This time, he will be playing for the Adelaide Strikers and is coming with further experience, having played for England and various other T20 leagues.
Scott Boland
Australia’s Test cricket specialist veteran bowler Scott Boland is also going to feature in the tournament this year. He missed the 2024-2025 season as he was part of the Australian squad for their Test series vs India. This year, Australia will be playing Ashes against arch-rivals England, so Boland’s participation for the BBL 2025-2026 season remains under scrutiny.
Haris Rauf
Pakistan cricket team’s pace bowler Haris Rauf is also returning to join the Melbourne Stars bowling attack for the Big Bash League 2024-2025 season. Rauf has played for the team for four seasons and is an integral part of the side. He missed last season’s action because he was part of the Pakistan team for their series vs South Africa and also suffered a niggle. With the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in mind, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) might just allow Rauf to play the BBL to prepare for the World Cup to be played just a few weeks after the BBL.
Shadab Khan
Another Pakistani cricketer who will be making his comeback to the tournament after a season off is all-rounder Shadab Khan. Shadab last played in the BBL 2022-2023 season for the Hobart Hurricanes. He will now turn up for the Sydney Thunder in the upcoming BBL 2025-2026 season starting from December 14. At one stage, Shadab Khan was hailed as the next Pakistan team captain. However, due to his poor form and performance level, he is now just a squad player for the national team. Shadab, who will play BBL 2025-2026 for Thunder, will hope to perform well and impress the selectors ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.
Mitchell Starc
The Australian cricket team’s star pace bowler Mitchell Starc recently announced his retirement from the T20I format but shocked everyone as he was announced to be returning to the BBL after a gap of 11 years. He last played in the tournament in the 2014-2015 season. Since then, he has always prioritised international cricket.
He has signed a supplementary contract with the Sydney Sixers for the BBL 2025-2026 season; that means he will be able to play for the Sixers when he is not playing for Australia. Although the Ashes raises the question of how many matches he will play in the BBL, his return to the league has made the upcoming Big Bash League 2025-2026 season something to watch out for.
1 thought on “List of Players Who Can Make Their Comeback in BBL 2025-2026 ft. Mitchell Starc”