BBL 2019 | Strategic timeout introduced for upcoming season

Cricket Australia (CA) have always been known for bringing out funky and revolutionary changes - in both Men's and Women's Cricket - and after announcing last month that they would be doing away with the conventional "boundary count rule" to decide the winners in case of a tied super over, they have now confirmed that the forthcoming season of the BBL will have strategic timeouts in place. But unlike the IPL, there will only be one strategic timeout instead of two, which will be applicable for the batting team between overs 7 to 13. 

"The Strategic Time Out has been thought about and developed over the last couple of years, with input from key stakeholders in the game. We've seen the strategic time outs used in other T20 competitions around the world, and we feel that providing the batting team with the power to call a time out will add an extra tactical dimension to the outcome of the game, with the priority of maximising runs," Cricket Australia's Head of Big Bash Leagues Alistair Dobson said, reported Cricbuzz.

The ever-so-growing popularity of the BBL, with these funky changes, is bound to reach further heights, having already roped in the likes of AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn for the upcoming season. The ninth edition of the BBL will commence from December 17 with Brisbane Heats and Sydney Thunder set to kick-start the T20 spectacle.