Ben Stokes makes BBL comeback after nearly 12 years, signs full-season deal with Adelaide Strikers

Ben Stokes will return to the BBL after nearly 12 years, joining Adelaide Strikers on a full-season deal reportedly worth more than AUD 500,000.

Ben Stokes is set for a long-awaited return to the Big Bash League after signing with Adelaide Strikers for the entirety of the 2026-27 season, giving the competition one of its most recognisable overseas recruits in recent years. The former England captain, who retired from international cricket earlier this year, will be available throughout BBL 16, beginning with the Strikers' opening fixture against Sydney Thunder in Canberra on December 16. Should Adelaide progress all the way, Stokes is also expected to remain with the franchise through the knockout phase and the final, scheduled for January 26, 2027.

Ben Stokes joins the Adelaide Strikers. (Action Images via Reuters)

His arrival represents a significant coup for Adelaide, with the South Australian Cricket Association having pursued Stokes for some time after the 35-year-old indicated an interest in returning to the competition. Simon Insley, SACA's General Manager of Cricket, is understood to have led the negotiations. Adelaide were not alone in chasing Stokes, with Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Renegades also making attempts to secure the celebrated England all-rounder. Ultimately, Stokes' fondness for both Adelaide Oval and the city itself is believed to have helped the Strikers get the deal over the line. “Ben is fully committed to donning the blue for the Strikers and being a true blue South Australian throughout the upcoming BBL season,” a source within SACA told Cricbuzz.

Stokes is expected to have his family with him for part of what could amount to approximately a month-and-a-half in Australia.

Stokes set for first BBL appearance since 2015

The move will bring Stokes back to the Big Bash for the first time in more than a decade. He last appeared in the competition in early 2015 and has not played conventional T20 cricket since representing Chennai Super Kings in the 2023 Indian Premier League. He did, however, feature in a handful of matches in The Hundred in 2024. By the time Stokes eventually walked away from Test cricket, he had already ended his career in white-ball internationals.

His return to franchise cricket follows a productive spell with Durham since his unexpected international retirement during England's Trent Bridge Test against New Zealand earlier this year. Stokes has averaged 63.60 with the bat in the County Championship since returning to the domestic game and 41.14 in List A cricket, with Cricbuzz reporting that he has enjoyed an impressive run with both bat and ball across formats.

The Strikers have reportedly committed more than AUD 500,000 to secure Stokes, a deal that makes him arguably the most high-profile overseas signing ahead of the 16th edition of the Big Bash League. Adelaide's recruitment drive may not be finished either, with the franchise understood to be in discussions with another couple of prominent names whose signings it hopes to announce in due course. Stokes' involvement is also significant for the wider competition. Australian cricket has been discussing the possibility of private investment in the BBL, with attracting elite international players among the priorities as administrators seek to enhance the tournament's global profile.

Having a player of Stokes' stature commit to an entire campaign, rather than only a limited window, consequently represents a considerable boost for a competition that has often had to contend with the partial availability of leading overseas cricketers. Stokes himself said in Adelaide's official announcement that he had always enjoyed playing in Australia and regarded the chance to represent the Strikers as an opportunity he could not turn down. He spoke warmly about Adelaide Oval, described the Big Bash as a high-quality competition and said he was eager to contribute to a successful campaign alongside his new teammates.

Stokes to work under former Ashes adversary Tim Paine

There will also be an intriguing reunion in Adelaide, with Stokes set to play under Strikers head coach Tim Paine, the former Australia Test captain against whom he contested some of the most memorable Ashes battles of his career. Paine was Australia's captain at Headingley in 2019 when Stokes produced perhaps the defining Test innings of his career, scoring an unbeaten 135 to drag England to an extraordinary one-wicket victory.

Seven years later, the pair will find themselves on the same side. “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.

Paine also described the signing as a major addition for Adelaide, pointing to the prospect of Strikers supporters now watching in their own colours a player responsible for several of cricket's defining moments over the past decade. Stokes will join a squad containing Australia white-ball regular Matt Short as well as Jason Sangha, Liam Scott, Henry Thornton and Mackenzie Harvey.

Alex Carey is also presently part of the Strikers squad, although his chances of appearing in the BBL are considered slim because of Australia's Test schedule. The wicketkeeper-batter is likely to be occupied by the home Test summer before Australia travel to India for a Test tour shortly after the New Year's Test in Sydney. For Stokes, the move effectively completes an unusual circle. On December 16, 2025, he was at Adelaide Oval, captaining an England side that was 0-2 down in the Ashes and urging his players to rediscover their aggression.

Exactly a year later, on December 16, 2026, he is scheduled to begin a very different Australian assignment — no longer carrying the responsibilities of the England captaincy, but instead beginning his first Big Bash campaign in almost 12 years as Adelaide Strikers' marquee overseas signing.