BBL Trade Period: Cricket Australia to announce 10-day player movement window

Cricket Australia is set to announce a 10-day player movement window for both the BBL and WBBL according to SEN Cricket’s Tom Morris.

The period – which kicks off the day after the finals – will encourage player movement with clubs able to trade players and picks in the overseas player draft.

Morris revealed the news on X and broke the key points of what the period will entail and he expects the governing body to make an announcement in the very near future.

“I expect Cricket Australia to announce this potentially today and certainly this week,” Morris told SEN Whateley.

“A 10-day trade period is coming to the Big Bash and also the Women's Big Bash League as well.

“They're calling it the player movement window, but in essence, it's just a trade period like what we see in the AFL.

“It opens the day after the finals for the BBL, so that will run from January 28th to February 6th in 2025.

“Crucially, clubs can trade players, and they can also trade draft picks in the overseas player draft.”

Morris thinks that the new window will both increase player movement and legitimacy in the media, adding that teams will only be able to re-sign 10 players before the trade period – ensuring the remaining players enter the off-season as effectively free agents.

“I think the really important point here is that Cricket Australia is trying to increase player movement,” Morris added.

“With more movement comes talkability and legitimacy in the media, in the public conversation and the discourse.

“Any uncontracted player at the start of the trade period is a free agent, so you can't re-sign your own players once the trade period starts.

“If you're unsigned at the Melbourne Stars, you can do whatever you want and go to whichever club you want.  But the key point is here clubs won't be able to sign more than 10 players before the start of the trade period.

“If lists are 18 and you can re-sign 10, that means you've got eight guys that are out of contract and can do whatever they want in the trade period.

“So, they're trying to increase player movement.”

The BBL|14 Final is set for January 27 at 7:15pm. The player movement window will kick off at 9am the next day on January 28.