The Melbourne Stars are set to trade the MCG for Manuka Oval during a Boxing Day Test lockout, with "some of the best Twenty20 players in the world" to call Canberra home.
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The Canberra Times can reveal the Stars and Sydney Thunder are both set to host Big Bash games at Manuka Oval this summer, with the full schedule to be published on Friday.
The Thunder have committed to bring one of their five home games to the capital, which will be played against the Adelaide Strikers on December 17.
The Stars will play a home game at Manuka Oval when they host the Thunder on December 28, midway through the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
A Stars outfit boasting Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis will be locked out of the MCG a week before a blockbuster Test between Australia and India, keeping them off their home turf for two weeks during the Big Bash season.
Manuka Oval has come to the rescue, with the Stars and Thunder striking a deal with the ACT government to shift a game to Canberra.
"Each year the Stars get locked out of the MCG due to the Boxing Day Test so we can't play there after December 18 until the new year," Stars general manager Blair Crouch said.
"Based on the success of last year's fixture in Albury against the Thunder, and with this year's condensed fixture, an opportunity arose for both teams to play at Manuka where the Thunder have an existing relationship with the ACT government and have built a strong supporter base."
The Thunder drew crowds of 11,173 and 7175 to Manuka Oval for their two games at the venue last summer.
Big crowds at this year's fixtures could ignite Canberra's hopes of securing a Big Bash licence in the future, with Cricket ACT chairman Greg Boorer making no secret of his desire to have a team based in the capital.
It comes as little surprise Manuka Oval was ready to swoop on another game.
Manuka Oval has for some time been considered a saviour for the competition, with 13 games being shifted to the venue at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2020-21 season.
One of those games was moved on such short notice it was played behind closed doors with only a handful of staff permitted inside the venue for what felt like a glorified club game.
Cricket Australia slashed the number of games from 61 to 44 last season, making the move a year earlier than expected in an attempt to reignite interest in the competition.
The ACT government held the Thunder to its deal to play two matches in Canberra before the contract ended in January. The Thunder triggered an extension to play again in Canberra this season.
We have some of the best T20 players in the world with the likes of Glenn Maxwell, Tom Curran and Marcus Stoinis. We can't wait to get to Canberra.
- Stars general manager Blair Crouch
The Thunder will play one home game at Manuka Oval this season - but the Stars' predicament means Canberra fans will still see two matches on their home patch.
"We hope to see as many Stars fans as possible make the trip up from north eastern Victoria where we enjoyed such strong support last year," Crouch said.
"We have some of the best T20 players in the world with the likes of Glenn Maxwell, Tom Curran and Marcus Stoinis, who was recently named in the World Cup team of the tournament.
"We can't wait to get to Canberra and for them to turn it on for the locals."
Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports journalist for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports journalist for The Canberra Times.
