Big Bash League 2017/18: Team-by-team guide to seventh instalment of Australia's T20 extravaganza

Squad: Travis Head (c), Wes Agar, Alex Carey, Michael Cormack, Jono Dean, Daniel Drew, David Grant, Colin Ingram, Rashid Khan, Ben Laughlin, Jake Lehmann, Michael Neser, Liam O'Connor, Peter Siddle, Billy Stanlake, Jake Weatherald, Jonathan Wells, Nick Winter.

In: Colin Ingram, Rashid Khan, Peter Siddle, Jonathan Wells

Out: Ben Dunk, Brad Hodge, Jon Holland, Chris Jordan, Tim Ludeman, Kieron Pollard, Kane Richardson

Availability: Looks a pretty settled squad. Skipper Travis Head could be drawn away in the closing stages of the summer for Australian ODI duty, but otherwise availability shouldn't be an issue for the revamped Strikers squad.

Strengths: Young talent abounds in a different looking Strikers squad this year. Afghan teenage sensation Rashid Khan should be a hit with his leg spinners, and his 43 wickets this year has him second on the list of ODI scalps in 2017. Jake Lehmann, Alex Carey, Jake Weatherald and Travis Head are all proven run scorers while Billy Stanlake's rangy fast bowling should cause more problems for opposition batsmen this summer.

Weaknesses: Can they score enough runs? Brad Hodge and Ben Dunk are both gone, and they were the Strikers' leading run scorers last season. The potential is certainly there to replace Hodge and Dunk on the scoreboard, but the experience is not and that could come to be a problem as the season wears on.

Squad: Brendon McCullum (c), Max Bryant, Joe Burns, Ben Cutting, Brendan Doggett, Jason Floros, Cameron Gannon, Sam Heazlett, Shadab Khan, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Lalor, Chris Lynn, Jimmy Peirson, Matt Renshaw, Alex Ross, Mitchell Swepson, Mark Steketee, Cameron Valente, Yasir Shah

In: Max Bryant, Brendan Doggett, Shadab Khan, Matt Renshaw, Cameron Valente, Yasir Shah

Out: Samuel Badree, Alex Doolan, Andrew Fekete, Nathan Reardon, Jack Wildermuth, Tymal Mills

Availability: How much will Chris Lynn play this season? He had a shoulder reconstruction in July and is nearing a return, although just when that will be remains to be seen. He's been batting in the nets without too many problems, but the Heat may well opt to nurse their star asset back into the fold.

Strengths: There are some serious runs in this Heat team. Chris Lynn and Brendon McCullum are two of the most explosive batsmen in T20 cricket, the former scoring 309 runs in just five matches last summer. Ben Cutting and Alex Ross are Big Bash stars while Matt Renshaw could prove a wildcard with the bat after his Test snub.

Weaknesses: Not very many. Perhaps in the fast bowling stocks, although they can cover for that with their spin-bowling trio of Mitchell Swepson, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah.

Squad: George Bailey (c), Jofra Archer, James Bazley, Cameron Boyce, Dan Christian, Tom Curran, Hamish Kingston, Ben McDermott, Simon Milenko, Tymal Mills, Tim Paine, Jake Reed, Sam Rainbird, Nathan Reardon, Tom Rogers, Clive Rose, D'Arcy Short, Matthew Wade.

In: Tom Curran, Tymal Mills, Tom Rogers, Matthew Wade (Renegades), Jofra Archer, Nathan Reardon (Heat)

Out: Stuart Broad, Kumar Sangakkara, Shaun Tait (retired), Jonathan Wells (Strikers), Beau Webster Renegades, Dom Michael

Availability: England all-rounder Curran isn't expected to figure much having been called up to both Test and ODI squads. Wade figured in Australia's most recent ODI series in India however his Test axing could also mean the end of his limited-overs international career, although his Test replacement Paine looks a decent chance of again becoming an ODI regular too.

Strengths: The Sangakkara experiment proved to be a bit of a flop, while Broad was serviceable but far from dominant. The Hurricanes should be confident that one of this summer's imports will deliver though, with English left-arm tearaway Mills possessing an excellent Twenty20 record.

Weaknesses: Veteran Bailey is still pretty reliable but the batting does look a bit skinny. McDermott is an emerging talent who made a breakthrough hundred last season while there is a glimmer of hope Wade can return to his destructive best.

Squad: John Hastings (c), Michael Beer, Scott Boland, Jackson Coleman, Ben Dunk, James Faulkner, Seb Gotch, Evan Gulbis, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Ben Hilfenhaus, Glenn Maxwell, Kevin Pietersen, Rob Quiney, Marcus Stoinis, Dan Worrall, Luke Wright, Adam Zampa.

In: Ben Dunk (Strikers), Jackson Coleman (upgraded)

Out: David Hussey (retired), Tom Triffitt

Availability: The Stars could see more of Handscomb than anticipated given his axing from the Test team, although just how long his exodus will be, and whether it extends to one-day cricket, remains to be seen. Maxwell, Stoinis, Zampa and Faulkner are all in Australia's ODI frame though, so the Stars' depth will again be tested.

Strengths: The Stars line-up remains settled, and while they are yet to deliver a title they have been consistently thereabouts. Spinners Zampa and Beer have been hard to get away, while youngster Liam Bowe showed promise last season and is likely to be needed again with Zampa on international duties. Last summer's leading runscorer Dunk is a terrific acquisition and complements a strong batting lineup featuring among others veterans Pietersen and Quiney, and the emerging Gotch.

Weaknesses: The top order batsmen weren't able to finish enough strong starts last year, while the Stars don't quite have the raw pace of some other teams, even though Boland and Hilfenhaus were both more than serviceable last summer, and Hastings is back from injury. Again more than anything it will be about performing in the finals, where the Star have regularly faltered.

Squad: Aaron Finch (c), Dwayne Bravo, Tom Cooper, Marcus Harris, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, Jon Holland, Tim Ludeman, Joe Mennie, Mohammad Nabi, James Pattinson, Kieron Pollard, Kane Richardson, Matt Short, Will Sutherland, Chris Tremain, Beau Webster, Cameron White, Jack Wildermuth

In: Tim Ludeman (Strikers), Kane Richardson (Strikers), Jack Wildermuth (Heat), Kieron Pollard (Strikers), Brad Hodge (Strikers), Jon Holland (Strikers), Beau Webster (Hurricanes), Joe Mennie (Sixers), Will Sutherland, Mohammad Nabi

Out: Peter Nevill (Sixers), Peter Siddle (Strikers), Callum Ferguson (Thunder), Matthew Wade (Hurricanes), Tom Beaton, Xavier Doherty, Nathan Rimmington, Nick Winter, Sunil Narine

Availability: Pattinson is again injured so can't really be factored into the Renegades' plans this summer, but they shouldn't be too badly affected by call-ups. Finch is still a one-day regular for Australia so could well be lost mid-tournament, while Pollard is going to replace Nabi while the Afghan is away playing for his country. Rookie Sutherland probably wouldn't have featured much anyway but has been named vice-captain in Australia's under-19 world cup squad. Narine left the squad late because of personal reasons.

Strengths: Consistent underperformers, the Renegades squad has undergone immense change since last season. Finch had another excellent campaign at the top of the order and the Renegades should be quietly confident of a better overall batting performance this season with the additions of veteran Hodge and gloveman Ludeman, who has been in form in the lead-up to the tournament.

Weaknesses: The Renegades' fast bowlers had a terrible time of things last summer but things have changed up a bit and fringe Australian white-ball bowler Richardson should help a fair bit. Narine is a loss though, but Hogg still looks like he has a fair bit to offer, and will combine with Holland and Nabi, who is the third-ranked ODI all-rounder in the world.

Squad: Adam Voges (c), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Johnson, Michael Klinger, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Joel Paris, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Sam Whiteman, David Willey

In: Cameron Green, Josh Inglis

Out: Ian Bell, James Muirhead

Availability: The return of the Marsh brothers and the ascension of Bancroft to the Test mix weakens the reigning champions somewhat, while Coulter-Nile, Cartwright, Behrendorff and Agar are all around the international selection mark across various formats. Willey is in England's ODI squad so will also be unavailable for some of the tournament.

Strengths: The Scorchers are a very settled side and with good reason given their hard-earned status as the competition's pacesetters. Their fast bowling depth is probably unrivalled. The semi-retired Johnson was dominant last season and is again the biggest threat, but Tye, Coulter-Nile, Behrendorff, WIlley, Richardson and Paris all have international experience.

Weaknesses: There aren't too many really although if Mitch Marsh misses most of the tournament it will leave a fair hole. The batting could be a touch vulnerable, especially with Voges at the end of his career and Bell having not returned.

Squad: Moises Henriques (c), Sean Abbott, Sam Billings, Jackson Bird, Johan Botha, Ben Dwarshuis, Mickey Edwards, Daniel Hughes, Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson, Peter Nevill, Steve O'Keefe, Jason Roy, Jordan Silk, Mitchell Starc, Henry Thornton

In: Peter Nevill (Renegades)

Out: Ryan Carters, Brad Haddin, Michael Lumb, Joe Mennie, Doug Bollinger, Josh Hazlewood

Availability: The Sixers won't see too much of Australian bowlers Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon. Sam Billings and Jason Roy have both been named in England's one-day squad later this summer, which will likely impact their Big Bash availability.

Strengths: The Sixers are blessed with plenty of versatility in their bowling this season. Sean Abbott led all comers with 20 BBL wickets last season and looks a key man again this summer, while Jackson Bird can be very difficult to get away. Tweakers Steve O'Keefe and Johan Botha are both suited to this shortened format while Ben Dwarshuis is another handy pace option and Moises Henriques should contribute more with the ball this time around.

Weaknesses: No Brad Haddin, Michael Lumb and Doug Bollinger means a significant loss of experience in this year's Sixers squad. It's a younger looking team this year and that could be a factor in such a tough competition. It could also play right into their hands.

Squad: Shane Watson (c), Fawad Ahmed, Aiden Blizzard, Jos Buttler, Pat Cummins, Andrew Fekete, Callum Ferguson, Ryan Gibson, Chris Green, Liam Hatcher, Usman Khawaja, Jay Lenton, Mitchell McClenaghan, Clint McKay, Arjun Nair, Kurtis Patterson, Ben Rohrer, Gurinder Sandhu

In: Callum Ferguson, Jos Buttler, Mitch McClenaghan, Andrew Fekete

Out: Jake Doran, Alister McDermott, Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite, Chris Hartley, Nathan McAndrew

Availability: Much more settled than last season. One-day international commitments may take Jos Buttler away for the last few games of the regular season. Test pair Usman Khawaja and Pat Cummins may not feature at all given the packed summer schedule against England. Otherwise there shouldn't be too much chopping and changing of the Thunder roster this season.

Strengths: There's potential for the Thunder to post some consistently big scores throughout the summer. Shane Watson, Aiden Blizzard and Callum Ferguson are run machines, Jos Buttler adds plenty of class, while Ryan Gibson and Kurtis Patterson are young stars on the rise.

Weaknesses: Perhaps a lack of fast bowling depth. New Zealander Mitchell McClenaghan is a world-class T20 bowler, but Clint McKay, Andrew Fekete and Gurinder Sandhu all struggled to consistently impact last season's BBL. That could put a lot of pressure on the Kiwi recruit.

1. Brisbane Heat

2. Perth Scorchers

3. Melbourne Stars

4. Melbourne Renegades

5. Sydney Thunder

6. Sydney Sixers

7. Adelaide Strikers

8. Hobart Hurricanes