Tasmania and Canberra will host the first batch of BBL games this summer from December 10, before the competition swings into Queensland and Adelaide late in the month.

Cricket Australia unveiled a long-delayed schedule for the first portion of the competition on Thursday, with 21 matches locked on up until New Year's Eve. The remaining fixtures will likely include Sydney and Melbourne, with negotiations also ongoing around holding some games in Perth. It is believed that Melbourne may be lined up to host the tournament finals.

Hobart Hurricanes, Sydney Sixers, Perth Scorchers, Melbourne Renegades and Adelaide Strikers will all commences their campaigns in Hobart at Bellerive Oval, while Sydney Thunder, Melbourne Stars and Brisbane Heat will begin their tilts for the title in matches at Canberra's Manuka Oval.

To allow the tournament to continue while the Australia-India day-night Test is held in Adelaide from December 17-21, there will be two morning matches on December on 19 and 20 in Hobart leading into the start of play at the Test.

The 2021 fixtures for the tournament have also been unveiled, with their venues to be confirmed - there remains the possibility that these later rounds will revert to a more conventional home and away fixture should state borders and related restrictions be eased in the time of Covid-19.

"This is without doubt the most complex fixturing task ever undertaken by the League and we are excited with where it has landed. It has been a difficult year for so many people around Australia and we look forward to bringing the BBL to every state should border conditions allow us to," the head of the BBL Alistair Dobson said.

"We're also pleased to provide certainty to our clubs, players, broadcasters, commercial partners and governments today with confirmation of match-ups, dates and start times for the entire BBL campaign, and venues for matches through to the end of 2020. We are working through scenarios for the remaining 35 regular season matches and Finals series to be played in the New Year with our clubs, broadcasters, partners and governments. An announcement on these venues will be made in the coming weeks.

"The BBL is by far and away the most watched sporting league in the country on a per-match basis and we look forward to that continuing as we celebrate ten years of the Big Bash."

More to come