Three BBL matches that had been set to be staged in Sydney have been moved to Canberra due to the ongoing border restrictions.

The fate of the remaining matches in Sydney has not yet been decided but it remains probable that they will need to be relocated as well.

The three games currently moved are:

January 13: Sydney Thunder v Sydney Sixers, originally scheduled to be played at Sydney Showground Stadium
January 16: Sydney Sixers v Perth Scorchers, originally scheduled to be played at Sydney Cricket Ground
January 18: Sydney Thunder v Hobart Hurricanes, originally scheduled to be played at Sydney Showground Stadium

Manuka Oval has already staged six matches in this season's tournament with the Thunder, for who the ground is effectively a second home, having played in five of them.

"The decision to move these three matches from Sydney to Canberra has been taken to ensure the continuation of the BBL season despite the ongoing public health situation and related state border closures," Alistair Dobson, the head of the Big Bash, said. "As part of our ongoing monitoring of the situation in Sydney, we will consider whether or not we need to make any decisions on the remaining matches in Sydney in due course."

There is potentially another complication for the BBL following the three-day lockdown announced in Brisbane on Friday following a case of community transmission of the UK strain of Covid-19. There are currently matches taking place on the Gold Coast, which is outside of the area impacted by the lockdown, but it may have further impact on the borders with other states.