BBL 16 Retained Player List 2026-27: Shocking Player Release – No Contract for Travis Head, Cummins, and Starc

BBL 16 Retained Player list 2026-27: A major shift is being observed in Australian cricket ahead of BBL 16. Several big-name players currently remain without a BBL contract. Stars such as Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Starc, Josh Inglis, and Pat Cummins are currently available on the market. 

However, this does not mean these players have been permanently dropped by the teams. They are simply currently uncontracted. Teams may re-sign many of these players once the contracting embargo is lifted.

There has been another significant change for BBL 16. The league has scrapped the overseas player draft. Teams can now sign overseas players directly. Notably, there is no longer a requirement for teams to maintain a minimum number of overseas players; however, the primary squad list can include a maximum of three overseas players. 

This change will give BBL teams greater freedom in constructing their squads. It also creates a significant opportunity for Australian domestic players. Gurinder Sandhu is a prime example of this. He took 18 wickets in BBL 15, finishing as a joint-leader for the most wickets in the regular season, yet he remains without a contract.

Key Points to take a look at:

• Big names without contracts: Head, Khawaja, Labuschagne, Starc, Inglis & Cummins.
• Defending champions at risk: Scorchers could lose Finn Allen & Josh Inglis.
• Domestic players get a boost: No minimum overseas-player rule means more Aussie spots.
• Several veterans have retired: Tye, Kelly, Richardson & Henriques have called it time.
• Sixers made key moves: Ollie Davies & Fergus O’Neill joined the Sixers squad.
• Open market changes everything: Teams now have greater freedom to build their squads.
• Big stars remain available: Most uncontracted players can still return to their clubs.
• Peter Siddle Still Going at 42 What?: Yes, he is not Human.

So, the question arises: why are such big names currently without contracts for BBL 16? Are teams placing more trust in young Australian players? And will this new system result in BBL squads looking completely different from before? 

Let’s take a look at the changes in BBL 16 and which major players are currently awaiting contracts.

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BBL Retained Player list 2026-27

Adelaide Strikers

Retained
Alex Carey, Mackenzie Harvey, Thomas Kelly, Lloyd Pope, Jason Sangha, Liam Scott, Matt Short, Tom Straker, Henry Thornton, Jerrssis Wadia

Released
Hassan Ali, Cameron Boyce, Jordan Buckingham, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Harry Manenti, Harry Nielsen, Jamie Overton, Alex Ross, Tabraiz Shamsi, Luke Wood

Latest Signings
Ben Stokes – September 1, 2026

Transfer or Swap
None

Retired
None

Brisbane Heat

Retained
Xavier Bartlett, Max Bryant, Lachlan Hearne, Spencer Johnson, Matt Kuhnemann, Nathan McSweeney, Matthew Renshaw, Callum Vidler, Hugh Weibgen, Jack Wildermuth

Released
Shaheen Shah Afridi, Tom Alsop, Tom Balkin, Paddy Dooley, Liam Haskett, Zaman Khan, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Colin Munro, Michael Neser, Oli Patterson, Jimmy Peirson, Jack Wood

Latest Signings
Tom Curran – September 8, 2026

Transfer or Swap
None

Retired
None

Hobart Hurricanes

Retained
Nikhil Chaudhary, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitchell Owen, Billy Stanlake, Matthew Wade, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

Released
Rehan Ahmed, Marcus Bean, Jackson Bird, Hugo Burdon, Iain Carlisle, Rishad Hossain, Chris Jordan, Will Prestwidge, Charlie Wakim, Tim Ward, Mac Wright

Latest Signings
Adam Zamba – September 9, 2026

Transfer or Swap
None

Retired
None

Melbourne Renegades

Retained
Jason Behrendorff, Josh Brown, Harry Dixon, Brendan Doggett, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Caleb Jewell, Ollie Peake, Tom Rogers, Will Sutherland

Released
Michael Archer, Sam Elliott, Hassan Khan, Muhammad Rizwan, Nathan Lyon, Will Salzmann, Gurinder Sandhu, Tim Seifert, Matthew Spoors, Callum Stow, Adam Zampa

Transfer or Swap
Fergus O’Neill → Sydney Sixers

Retired
Andrew Tye

Melbourne Stars

Retained
Austin Anlezark, Hilton Cartwright, Sam Harper, Liam Hatcher, Campbell Kellaway, Glenn Maxwell, Tom Rogers, Peter Siddle, Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Swepson

Released
Scott Boland, Joe Clarke, Tom Curran, Sam Hain, Blake Macdonald, Hamish McKenzie, Jon Merlo, Haris Rauf, Aryan Sharma, Mark Steketee, Tom Whitney

Latest Signings
Finn Allen – September 10, 2026

Transfer or Swap
None

Retired
None

Perth Scorchers

Retained
Ashton Agar, Mahli Beardman, Cooper Connolly, Aaron Hardie, Mitch Marsh, Lance Morris, Joel Paris, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner

Released
Finn Allen, Brody Couch, Joel Curtis, Laurie Evans, Sam Fanning, Nick Hobson, Luke Holt, Josh Inglis, Bryce Jackson, David Payne, Corey Rocchiccioli

Transfer or Swap
None

Retired
Matthew Kelly

Sydney Sixers

Retained
Sean Abbott, Joel Davies, Ollie Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Hayden Kerr, Fergus O’Neill, Josh Philippe, Lachlan Shaw, Jordan Silk, Steve Smith

Released
Babar Azam, Jafer Chohan, Sam Curran, Josh Hazlewood, Daniel Hughes, Riley Kingsell, Ben Manenti, Todd Murphy, Mitch Perry, Jake Scott, Harjas Singh, Mitchell Starc, Charlie Stobo

Latest Signings
Tim Seifert – September 10, 2026 (One Year Deal)

Transfer or Swap
Ollie Davies ← Sydney Thunder
Fergus O’Neill ← Melbourne Renegades

Retired
Kane Richardson, Moises Henriques

Sydney Thunder

Retained
Cameron Bancroft, Sam Billings, Matt Gilkes, Chris Green, Ryan Hadley, Sam Konstas, Aidan O’Connor, Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, David Warner

Released
Wes Agar, Charlie Anderson, Tom Andrews, Ravichandran Ashwin, Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Shadab Khan, Nic Maddinson, Nathan McAndrew, Blake Nikitaras, Reece Topley, David Willey

Transfer or Swap
Ollie Davies → Sydney Sixers

Retired
None