# Adelaide Strikers
The **Adelaide Strikers** are an Australian professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team based in Adelaide, competing in the men's [Big Bash League](https://www.edgepedia.org/big-bash-league) (BBL) and the [Women's Big Bash League](https://www.edgepedia.org/womens-big-bash-league) (WBBL). They play their home games at [Adelaide Oval](https://www.edgepedia.org/adelaide-oval), wear a cornflower blue uniform, and won the men's BBL title in the 2017-18 season.[1](https://www.ipl.com/team/adelaide-strikers/) The club is associated with the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) and fields men's and women's squads drawn from Australian internationals, state players, and overseas signings.[2](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/players)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Competitions | Big Bash League (men) and Women's Big Bash League, both Twenty20 franchises[1](https://www.ipl.com/team/adelaide-strikers/) |
| Home ground | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide[1](https://www.ipl.com/team/adelaide-strikers/) |
| Men's title | One BBL championship, won in the 2017-18 season[1](https://www.ipl.com/team/adelaide-strikers/) |
| Women's titles | Back-to-back WBBL championships in WBBL|08 and WBBL|09[3](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/news/4579689/maddie-penna-inks-fresh-deal-with-the-adelaide-strikers) |
| Inaugural captain | Michael "Maxy" Klinger, named at the BBL launch in 2011[4](https://glamadelaide.com.au/kfc-twenty20-big-bash-league-launch/) |
| Current coaches | Tim Paine, former Australian Test captain, leads the men's program[5](https://www.cricket.com.au/news/4457352/adelaide-strikers-big-bash-bbl15-season-review-adelaide-oval-short-pope-lynn-scott-carey-head-wadia-paine) |
| Recent form | Last place in BBL|14 (first wooden spoon); sixth in BBL|15, missing finals two seasons running[6](https://www.cricket.com.au/news/4216294/adelaide-strikers-bbl14-review-big-bash-last-place-close-losses-simon-insley-tim-paine-matt-short-lynn-overton) • [5](https://www.cricket.com.au/news/4457352/adelaide-strikers-big-bash-bbl15-season-review-adelaide-oval-short-pope-lynn-scott-carey-head-wadia-paine) |
| Development | Strikers BBL Pathway Academy, introduced in 2024 to move players from Premier Cricket to BBL level[7](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/strikers-pathway-academy) |
## Founding and early seasons
The Strikers entered the re-launched Big Bash League in 2011 as one of eight city-based teams, including two each from Melbourne and Sydney.[4](https://glamadelaide.com.au/kfc-twenty20-big-bash-league-launch/) • [8](https://www.mcg.org.au/_/media/2022-12-16_bbl_stars_v_hurricanes_twenty20.pdf) At the league's launch in Sydney, Michael Klinger was named the club's inaugural captain, and the Strikers' first match was a home fixture against the Melbourne Renegades at Adelaide Oval on Sunday 18 December 2011.[4](https://glamadelaide.com.au/kfc-twenty20-big-bash-league-launch/)
## The 2017-18 championship
The Strikers won their first men's title in the 2017-18 season.[1](https://www.ipl.com/team/adelaide-strikers/) In the final at Adelaide Oval, their first final, they met the Hobart Hurricanes, who were playing their first Grand Final since BBL|03. Opener Jake Weatherald scored 115 from 70 balls, the highest individual total in a BBL final and the third highest in BBL history, powering Adelaide to 202 before a strong all-round performance secured the title.[9](https://read.e-brochures.com.au/crickettasmania/annual-report-2018/Cricket-Tasmania-Annual-Report.pdf)
## Women's team and WBBL success
The Strikers' WBBL side has been the club's most successful team in recent years, winning consecutive championships in WBBL|08 and WBBL|09, a run the club describes as history-making and one that established the Strikers as one of the competition's premier teams.[3](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/news/4579689/maddie-penna-inks-fresh-deal-with-the-adelaide-strikers) All-rounder Tahlia McGrath captains the women's squad, which includes internationals such as South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt and England's Sophie Ecclestone.[2](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/players)
The women's program has also been a commercial first: Flinders University became the first standalone Principal Partner of a WBBL team through its support of the Strikers, and later expanded that support to the men's BBL program.[10](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/news/4184316/flinders-and-adelaide-strikers-bowling-over-education-barriers) In 2023 the Strikers joined the South Australian Government's "Power of Her" initiative alongside the state's five other women's national-league teams, with a marquee WBBL match at Adelaide Oval for the Faith Thomas Trophy as part of a championship-defending season.[11](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/news/3731488/strikers-join-the-power-of-her)
## Recent men's seasons
The Strikers' late-season run in BBL|13 (2023-24) ended one game short of the decider, when Brisbane Heat opener Josh Brown scored 140 from 57 deliveries, including 12 sixes and 10 fours, in a 54-run Challenger defeat on the [Gold Coast](https://www.edgepedia.org/gold-coast). That season placed four Strikers in the official Team of the [Tournament](https://www.edgepedia.org/tournament), with Matt Short named captain and leading run-scorer and English international Jamie Overton joint leading wicket-taker.[12](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/news/3864640/strikers-fall-victim-to-josh-brown-barrage) [South Australian](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-australian) fans filled Adelaide Oval with 114,462 attendances across KFC BBL13.[13](https://resources.saca.pulselive.com/saca/document/2024/09/02/4ab3d8e3-75d5-4faa-a855-bc5737c5b638/SACA-Annual-Report-2023-24-A4-108890-WEB.pdf)
BBL|14 brought the club's first last-place finish, despite four losses in the final over, including a final-ball defeat to Brisbane Heat; general manager of cricket Simon Insley described the season as a matter of fine margins rather than a call for wholesale changes.[6](https://www.cricket.com.au/news/4216294/adelaide-strikers-bbl14-review-big-bash-last-place-close-losses-simon-insley-tim-paine-matt-short-lynn-overton) In BBL|15 the Strikers again finished sixth, with 8 points, and missed the finals for the second consecutive season under coach [Tim Paine](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-paine), though they recorded one more win than the season before.[5](https://www.cricket.com.au/news/4457352/adelaide-strikers-big-bash-bbl15-season-review-adelaide-oval-short-pope-lynn-scott-carey-head-wadia-paine)
For BBL|16 the club signed England all-rounder [Ben Stokes](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-stokes) on a one-year deal and New Zealand international Mark Chapman for the full season, while Matt Short, [Alex Carey](https://www.edgepedia.org/alex-carey-cricketer), Lloyd Pope, Liam Scott, Jason Sangha, Mackenzie Harvey, Thomas Kelly, Henry Thornton, Jerrssis Wadia, and Tom Straker were among the contracted core.[14](https://www.cricket.com.au/news/4569344/) • [15](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/news/4534455/christmas-wonderland-and-new-years-eve-blockbuster-headline-adelaide-strikers-action-packed-bbl16-season)
## Home ground and matchday culture
Adelaide Oval hosts the club's headline fixtures, including an annual [New Year's Eve](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-years-eve) blockbuster, a pre-Christmas match, and the First Nations fixture with a traditional barefoot circle and gift exchange.[15](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/news/4534455/christmas-wonderland-and-new-years-eve-blockbuster-headline-adelaide-strikers-action-packed-bbl16-season) The club acknowledges the Kaurna people as Traditional Custodians of the land on which it plays.[16](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/) The WBBL team plays most home matches at Karen Rolton Oval, with one marquee match under lights at Adelaide Oval each season, a practice in its fourth year for WBBL|12.[17](https://www.saca.com.au/news/4528616/adelaide-oval-to-headline-adelaide-strikers-wbbl12-campaign)
## Development and partnerships
The Strikers BBL Pathway Academy, introduced in 2024, aims to prepare players to progress from Premier Cricket to BBL level through learning, training, and playing opportunities.[7](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/strikers-pathway-academy) People First Bank is a Major Partner across both the BBL and WBBL teams, in partnership with SACA.[18](https://www.peoplefirstbank.com.au/about-us/sponsorships/adelaide-strikers) The wider women's game the club operates in was restructured from WBBL|10 with a 40-game regular season and a new domestic women's T20 competition, raising the average female domestic player salary to $163,322 for 2024-25.[19](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/news/3989961/utils)
## References
1. [Adelaide Strikers Team, IPL.com team page](https://www.ipl.com/team/adelaide-strikers/)
2. [Adelaide Strikers Players, official website](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/players)
3. [Maddie Penna inks fresh deal with the Adelaide Strikers, Adelaide Strikers](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/news/4579689/maddie-penna-inks-fresh-deal-with-the-adelaide-strikers)
4. [KFC Twenty20 Big Bash League Launch, Glam Adelaide](https://glamadelaide.com.au/kfc-twenty20-big-bash-league-launch/)
5. [Strikers 'only going to get better' in search for success, cricket.com.au](https://www.cricket.com.au/news/4457352/adelaide-strikers-big-bash-bbl15-season-review-adelaide-oval-short-pope-lynn-scott-carey-head-wadia-paine)
6. [Strikers focus on 'fine margins' not wholesale changes: BBL|14 review, cricket.com.au](https://www.cricket.com.au/news/4216294/adelaide-strikers-bbl14-review-big-bash-last-place-close-losses-simon-insley-tim-paine-matt-short-lynn-overton)
7. [Strikers BBL Pathway Academy, Adelaide Strikers](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/strikers-pathway-academy)
8. [Big Bash League match program, MCG](https://www.mcg.org.au/_/media/2022-12-16_bbl_stars_v_hurricanes_twenty20.pdf)
9. [Cricket Tasmania Annual Report 2017-18](https://read.e-brochures.com.au/crickettasmania/annual-report-2018/Cricket-Tasmania-Annual-Report.pdf)
10. [Flinders and Adelaide Strikers bowling over education barriers, Adelaide Strikers](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/news/4184316/flinders-and-adelaide-strikers-bowling-over-education-barriers)
11. [Strikers join 'The Power of Her', Adelaide Strikers](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/news/3731488/strikers-join-the-power-of-her)
12. [Strikers fall victim to Josh Brown barrage in Challenger, Adelaide Strikers](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/news/3864640/strikers-fall-victim-to-josh-brown-barrage)
13. [SACA Annual Report 2023-24](https://resources.saca.pulselive.com/saca/document/2024/09/02/4ab3d8e3-75d5-4faa-a855-bc5737c5b638/SACA-Annual-Report-2023-24-A4-108890-WEB.pdf)
14. [Ashes hero Stokes to join Strikers in Big Bash return, cricket.com.au](https://www.cricket.com.au/news/4569344/)
15. [Christmas Wonderland and New Year's Eve blockbuster headline BBL|16 season, Adelaide Strikers](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/news/4534455/christmas-wonderland-and-new-years-eve-blockbuster-headline-adelaide-strikers-action-packed-bbl16-season)
16. [Adelaide Strikers official website](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/)
17. [Adelaide Oval to headline Adelaide Strikers' WBBL|12 campaign, SACA](https://www.saca.com.au/news/4528616/adelaide-oval-to-headline-adelaide-strikers-wbbl12-campaign)
18. [Adelaide Strikers, People First Bank](https://www.peoplefirstbank.com.au/about-us/sponsorships/adelaide-strikers)
19. [WBBL season structure revamped, Adelaide Strikers](https://www.adelaidestrikers.com.au/news/3989961/utils)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Cricket › Cricket competitions and records › Competitions and recurring events › Big Bash and Women's Big Bash League*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license