The Adelaide Strikers are an Australian professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team based in Adelaide , South Australia that compete in the Big Bash League (BBL).[ 2] Their home ground is the Adelaide Oval ,[ 3] and they play in a cornflower blue uniform. The Strikers were formed in 2011 to play in the BBL, succeeding the South Australia cricket team , who played in the now-defunct KFC Twenty20 Big Bash competition.[ 4] Their sole victory in the BBL came in 2017–18 .[ 5]
Over their 11-year history in the BBL, they have had many effective and popular players on their team, from all-rounders such as Johan Botha , Michael Neser , Kieron Pollard , Ryan ten Doeschate and Chris Jordan , to high-scoring batsmen Travis Head , Colin Ingram, Chris Lynn , Mahela Jayawardene , Jonathan Wells, Michael Klinger and Jake Weatherald, to effective bowlers Ben Laughlin , Billy Stanlake , Rashid Khan , Peter Siddle , Adil Rashid and Kane Richardson , and finally keepers Alex Carey and Tim Ludeman.
The Strikers are currently coached by former Australian cricketer Tim Paine and captained by Matthew Short.
History
The Adelaide Strikers were formed in 2011, as a result of the formation of the Big Bash League .[ 4] When the competition was first formed, each team had an opportunity to sign up players and build their lists. The contracting window opened on 30 June 2011 at 9 am and closed on 22 July 2011. Each team was allowed to sign up to 18 players , including up to two from overseas.[ 6] The team's inaugural captain was South Australia captain, Michael Klinger , and the inaugural coach was Darren Berry, the then coach of the Southern Redbacks .[ 7]
In the 2016/17 Big Bash, the Adelaide Strikers were rated the most entertaining team in the BBL, with a BBEI of 2177.[ 8]
New Year's Eve match
Since BBL03 , Cricket Australia started hosting a Strikers home match on 31 December night every year against different oppositions. It quickly gained popularity among the fans, turning into a tradition and attracting big crowds at the Adelaide Oval throughout the years. It is popularly termed as the New Year's Eve Match or NYE Clash in the media. Up until BBL08 , the Strikers had maintained a clean 6–0 win record in the NYE Big Bash clashes. In season 3, Travis Head scored a brilliant century to take the Strikers home against Sydney Sixers in the NYE clash, which remains one of the most memorable NYE matches in the short history of BBL to date.[ 9] Though, in BBL09 , the Strikers finally fell against the Sydney Thunder by 3 runs, the Strikers' first defeat on New Year's Eve.[ 10]
The Strikers haven't won a New Year's Eve game since 2018, currently going on a 5-year losing streak.
List of New Year's Eve matches
Year
Winner
Loser
Margin
Attendance
Player of the match
2013
Strikers
Scorchers
6 wickets[ 11]
26,030
Michael Klinger
2014
Strikers
Hurricanes
8 wickets[ 12]
43,288
Tim Ludeman
2015
Strikers
Sixers
5 wickets[ 13]
46,389
Travis Head
2016
Strikers
Sixers
48 runs[ 14]
45,471
Sean Abbott
2017
Strikers
Heat
56 runs[ 15]
46,594
Michael Neser
2018
Strikers
Thunder
20 runs[ 16]
41,987
Peter Siddle
2019
Thunder
Strikers
3 runs[ 17]
41,414
Callum Ferguson
2020
Scorchers
Strikers
7 wickets[ 18]
21,636
Jhye Richardson
2021
Thunder
Strikers
22 runs[ 19]
9,555
Jason Sangha
2022
Stars
Strikers
8 runs[ 20]
40,373
Marcus Stoinis
2023
Stars
Strikers
7 wickets
42,502
Marcus Stoinis
2024
Scorchers
Strikers
7 wickets
41,624
Cooper Connolly
Season Summaries
Chart of yearly table positions for Adelaide Strikers in BBL
Legend
DNQ
Did not qualify
CF
Lost the Challenger
*
Led the league
EF
Lost the Eliminator
SF
Semi-finalists
^
League record
KF
Lost the Knockout
RU
Runners-up
C
Champions
Captaincy Records
There have been 10 captains in the Strikers' history, including matches featuring an acting captain.
Home grounds
Current squad
The squad of the Adelaide Strikers for the 2025–26 Big Bash League season as of 28 July 2025.[ 52]
Players with international caps are listed in bold .
Name
Date of Birth
Batting Style
Bowling Style
Additional Info.
Batters
3
Mackenzie Harvey
18 September 2000
Left-handed
Right-arm medium
31
Thomas Kelly
14 December 2000
Right-handed
Right-arm medium
49
Alex Ross
17 April 1992
Right-handed
Right-arm off spin
23
Jason Sangha
8 September 1999
Right-handed
Right-arm leg spin
All-rounders
88
Jamie Overton
10 April 1994
Right-handed
Right-arm fast
Overseas Draft Pick (Platinum)
6
Liam Scott
12 December 2000
Right-handed
Right-arm fast
2
Matt Short
8 November 1995
Right-handed
Right-arm off spin
Captain
Wicket-keepers
5
Alex Carey
27 August 1991
Left-handed
—
4
Harry Nielsen
3 May 1995
Left-handed
—
Bowlers
32
Hassan Ali
2 July 1994
Right-handed
Right-arm fast
Overseas Draft Pick (Gold)
13
Cameron Boyce
27 July 1989
Right-handed
Right-arm leg spin
21
Jordan Buckingham
17 March 2000
Left-handed
Right-arm fast
24
Lloyd Pope
1 December 1999
Right-handed
Right-arm leg break
58
Henry Thornton
16 December 1996
Right-handed
Right-arm fast
14
Luke Wood
2 August 1995
Left-handed
Left-arm fast
Overseas Draft Pick (Platinum)
Players
Australian representatives
The following is a list of cricketers who have played for the Strikers after making their debut in the national men's team (the period they spent as both a Strikers squad member and an Australian-capped player is in brackets):
Overseas marquees
Source:[ 53]
Records
Team records
Result summary v. opponent
As of 18 January 2025
Highest innings score
As of 22 December 2023 [ 55]
Batting
Most career runs
As of 12 January 2025 [ 56]
Batsman
Years
Matches
Runs
High score
Jake Weatherald
2016–present
93
2,176
115
Matthew Short
2018–present
79
2,073
109
Alex Carey
2017–present
59
1,890
101
Jonathan Wells
2017–2022
71
1,740
73
Travis Head
2013–present
57
1,394
101 *
Highest scores
As of 12 January 2025 [ 57]
Highest Averages
As of 22 December 2023
Batsman
Years
Innings
Average
Jamie Overton
2023–present
9
90.50
Ian Cockbain
2022-2022
6
59.75
Ben Dunk
2016-2017
8
52.00
Chris Lynn
2022–present
20
43.88
Adil Rashid
2015-2016
4
43.00
Highest Strike Rate
Player
Years
Innings
Strike Rate
Rashid Khan
2017–2023
49
150.37
Chris Lynn
2022–present
20
130.40
2019–2021
30
146.50
Matthew Short
2018–present
73
141.51
Most Sixes
As of 22 December 2023
Player
Years
Innings
Amount
Jake Weatherald
2016–present
89
85
Matthew Short
2018–present
73
84
Travis Head
2013–present
55
61
Alex Carey
2017–present
55
46
Most Ducks
Highest partnerships by wicket
As of 11 January 2025 [ 58]
Bowling
Most career wickets
As of 30 August 2023 [ 59]
As of 30 August 2023 [ 60]
Fielding
Most Catches
Player
Span
Matches
Catches
Matthew Short
2018–25
79
44
Jake Weatherald
2016–25
93
34
Michael Neser
2012-21
62
30
Jonathan Wells
2017-22
71
24
Travis Head
2013-23
57
18
Honours
See also
Notes
References
^ Voss, Cameron (29 March 2014). "Adelaide Oval ready for showdown ". Austadiums.com. Retrieved 19 May 2014
^ Cricket Australia (n.d), Teams and Players, Cricket Australia, accessed 1 December 2013, <"Teams" . Big Bash League. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013 . >
^ Cricket Australia(n.d), Adelaide Strikers, Cricket Australia, accessed 1 December 2013, <http://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au >
^ a b Jelstad, J (2011), South Australia's Big Bash team to be renamed the Adelaide Strikers, The Advertiser, accessed 1 December 2013,<http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/big-bash-becomes-the-adelaide-strikers/story-e6frea6u-1226024720133 >
^ "Big Bash League 2017 Table, Matches, win, loss, points for Big Bash League" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 8 January 2021 .
^ Big Bash League timeline. Cricket Australia. Archived 28 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Adelaide Strikers Schedule - Adelaide Strikers Team Squad" . Archived from the original on 22 July 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2013 .
^ Stead, Chris (15 December 2017). "Big Bash T20 Statistics – Most entertaining BBL teams, stadiums and games revealed" . Finder.com.au. Retrieved 18 December 2017 .
^ "Adelaide Strikers defeat Brisbane Heat: Billy Stanlake fires as Heat rue dropped catches, touchy umpire call" . Fox Sports . 1 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018 .
^ "Full Scorecard of Adelaide Strikers vs Sydney Thunder, Big Bash League, Innings - Score Report" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 13 January 2020 .
^ Scorecard 31 December 2013 , CricInfo. Retrieved 30 August 2023
^ Scorecard 31 December 2014 , CricInfo. Retrieved 30 August 2023
^ Scorecard 31 December 2015 , CricInfo. Retrieved 30 August 2023
^ Scorecard 31 December 2016 , CricInfo. Retrieved 30 August 2023
^ Scorecard 31 December 2017 , CricInfo. Retrieved 30 August 2023
^ Scorecard 31 December 2018 , CricInfo. Retrieved 30 August 2023
^ Scorecard 31 December 2019 , CricInfo. Retrieved 30 August 2023
^ Scorecard 31 December 2020 , CricInfo. Retrieved 30 August 2023
^ Scorecard 31 December 2021 , CricInfo. Retrieved 30 August 2023
^ Scorecard 31 December 2022 , CricInfo. Retrieved 30 August 2023
^ "Big Bash League, 2011/12 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 14 December 2024 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2011/12 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 14 December 2024 .
^ a b c d e f "Strikers MVP Awards" . Adelaide Strikers . Retrieved 17 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2012/13 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 17 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2012/13 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 17 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2013/14 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 17 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2013/14 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 17 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2014/15 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 17 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2014/15 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 17 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2015/16 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 17 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2015/16 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 17 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2016/17 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 17 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2016/17 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 17 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2017/18 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 18 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2017/18 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 18 February 2025 .
^ a b c d e f g "Strikers MVP Awards" . Adelaide Strikers . Retrieved 18 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2018/19 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 18 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2018/19 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 18 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2019/20 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 18 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2019/20 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 18 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2020/21 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 18 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2020/21 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 18 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2021/22 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 18 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2021/22 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 18 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2022/23 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 18 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2022/23 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 18 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2023/24 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 18 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2023/24 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 18 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2024/25 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 18 February 2025 .
^ "Big Bash League, 2024/25 - Stats and Records" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 18 February 2025 .
^ "State awards wrap 2024-25: All the winners" . cricket.com.au . Retrieved 29 April 2025 .
^ "Full squads: How each club's list is shaping up for BBL|15" . cricket.com.au . Retrieved 28 July 2025 .
^ "Striking gold: Adelaide's history of BBL imports" . cricket.com.au . Retrieved 16 June 2025 .
^ "Adelaide Strikers Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com" . Cricinfo . Retrieved 31 December 2022 .
^ "Cricket Records | Adelaide Strikers | Records | Twenty20 matches | Highest totals | ESPN Cricinfo" . Stats.espncricinfo.com . Retrieved 8 February 2018 .
^ "Cricket Records | Adelaide Strikers | Records | Twenty20 matches | Most runs | ESPN Cricinfo" . Stats.espncricinfo.com . Retrieved 17 December 2019 .
^ "Cricket Records | Adelaide Strikers | Records | Twenty20 matches | High scores | ESPN Cricinfo" . Stats.espncricinfo.com . Retrieved 9 February 2018 .
^ "Highest Partnership for each wicket for Adelaide Strikers" . CricketArchive . Retrieved 30 August 2023 .
^ "Cricket Records | Adelaide Strikers | Records | Twenty20 matches | Most wickets | ESPN Cricinfo" . Stats.espncricinfo.com . Retrieved 9 February 2018 .
^ "Cricket Records | Adelaide Strikers | Records | Twenty20 matches | Best bowling figures in an innings | ESPN Cricinfo" . Stats.espncricinfo.com . Retrieved 9 February 2018 .
External links
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