Ben Stokes returns to BBL, joins Adelaide Strikers for entire season

On December 16, 2025, Ben Stokes was at the Adelaide Oval demanding that his Test team “unleash the dog” in them. England were 0-2 behind in the Ashes and it felt like their captain was carrying the load of the entire world on his shoulders.

Exactly a year on, Stokes will be back in Australia but this time being unleashed in an Adelaide Strikers’ jersey as he makes his long-awaited return to the Big Bash League. And he’ll do so at a time in his career, post international retirement, where he’s playing without seemingly a worry in the world.

The former England captain and star all-rounder has officially signed up with the Strikers and will be available for the entire BBL season, starting with the opening encounter against Sydney Thunder in Canberra. He’ll stay with them right through the business end of the tournament in case the Strikers do qualify with the grand final this summer scheduled for January 26, 2027.

It's learnt that the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) has been working tirelessly for a while to get Stokes to sign up, ever since he’d expressed his interest in returning to the BBL. Simon Insley, General Manager, Cricket, at SACA, led these discussions with Stokes

But they had to compete against a few of the other teams in the league, Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Renegades in particular, who were also trying to get the 35-year-old into their ranks. According to the SACA, it was Stokes’ love for the Adelaide Oval and the city of Adelaide that played a big role in finally getting the deal over the line. The enigmatic left-hander is expected to have his family over during his month-and-a-half stay in Adelaide.

“Ben is fully committed to donning the blue for the Strikers and being a true blue South Australian throughout the upcoming BBL season,” said a source within the SACA.

Stokes has had a terrific run with bat and ball for Durham across formats since his shock exit from international cricket during the Trent Bridge Test against New Zealand a few months earlier. He’s averaged 63.60 with the bat in the County Championship and 41.14 in List A cricket.

Stokes last played a BBL game back in early 2015 and hasn’t played any T20 cricket since the 2023 IPL where he was part of the Chennai Super Kings. He did play a handful of games in The Hundred back in 2024. He’d already hung up his boots from white-ball international cricket by the time he quit Test cricket. But his arrival in Australia, apart from the media interest it’ll generate, will be a huge boost for the Strikers and the BBL as a whole.

That too at a time when there’s been incessant talk around private investment in the Big Bash with luring big-name overseas players very high on the agenda. Stokes will share a Strikers dressing-room alongside Aussie white-ball regular, Matt Short, and a slew of talented local stars like Jason Sangha, Liam Scott, Henry Thornton and Mackenzie Harvey.

The squad for now also includes Alex Carey, even though the Australian wicket-keeper is unlikely to feature this season based on the Test summer schedule and the India Test tour, which kicks off soon after the New Year’s Test in Sydney. A fascinating aspect of Stokes being part of the Adelaide outfit is him being coached by Tim Paine, former Australian Test captain, who he played in Ashes cricket against. Paine was at the helm back in 2019 when the England superstar played his most epic knock in Headingley.

“Ben is one of the greatest all-rounders the game has seen, a proven match-winner and a competitor who thrives under pressure,” Paine said.