Adam Zampa Joins Hobart Hurricanes for BBL16 and BBL17
Adam Zampa will walk into yet another Big Bash dressing room this summer, and by now he knows the drill.
The Australian leg-spinner is on the move again, signing a two-year deal with the Hobart Hurricanes for BBL16 and BBL17, as reported by SEN’s Tom Morris. It will be his fifth different BBL club, a remarkable carousel for one of the league’s most recognisable bowlers.
Zampa’s fifth stop in a restless BBL journey
Zampa leaves the Melbourne Renegades after three seasons and heads south to a Hurricanes side that has quietly hardened into a genuine contender. They finished third in BBL15, backing up their breakthrough title the previous year, and now add a World Cup-winning spinner to a squad already built to challenge deep into January.
The move comes despite Zampa shifting his state allegiance from New South Wales to Queensland for the coming domestic summer, a decision that had him heavily linked with the Brisbane Heat. Instead, Hobart have swooped, landing a bowler who has become central to Australia’s white-ball success.
Zampa played key roles in Australia’s T20 World Cup triumph in 2021 and the ODI World Cup win in 2023, yet a BBL title still eludes him. Fourteen of the competition’s 15 seasons, three losing finals, and still no ring.
His journey through the league tells its own story. He started at the Sydney Thunder, moved to the Adelaide Strikers for BBL03, then settled into a long, influential eight-year stint at the Melbourne Stars. There he endured heartbreak in the deciders of 2015/16, 2018/19 and 2019/20, before a surprise cross-town switch to the Renegades.
Now, Hobart.
Crucially for the Hurricanes, Zampa is expected to be available for the entire campaign. Australia’s schedule from December 2026 to February 2027 is stacked with Test cricket – four at home against New Zealand and a five-Test tour of India – but no limited-overs internationals. That clears the runway for Zampa to anchor Hobart’s attack from opening night to finals.
For a player of his pedigree to still be chasing a first Big Bash crown, the narrative almost writes itself. The Hurricanes, fresh from a title and a top-three finish, might be his best shot yet.
Perth Scorchers dip back into England’s spin stocks
On the other side of the country, another leg-spinner is packing his bags.
Calvin Harrison will join the Perth Scorchers for his first professional stint outside England, signing on to bolster the six-time champions’ armoury. His arrival came just hours after Adelaide Strikers unveiled Ben Stokes as their marquee headline act, confirming that English influence will again run deep through the BBL summer.
Harrison, 28, has taken a longer, more winding road to this point. Born in South Africa and raised in New Zealand, he eventually found his way into Somerset’s Academy as a teenager and has since carved out a reputation as one of England’s most effective T20 spinners.
The numbers back it up: 97 wickets at 22.28 across 99 T20 matches, with ten wickets at 19.7 in this year’s Hundred. Those are the figures that catch a recruiter’s eye, especially in Perth, where the Scorchers have made a habit of identifying and maximising overseas talent.
Harrison now joins a distinguished list of English players who have worn the orange: Matt Hurst, Keaton Jennings, Zak Crawley, David Payne, Stephen Eskinazi, Adam Lyth, Tymal Mills, Laurie Evans, Jason Roy, Joe Clarke, Liam Livingstone, Chris Jordan, Tim Bresnan, Ian Bell, David Willey, Michael Carberry and Paul Collingwood have all passed through the WACA and Optus Stadium.
For the Scorchers, this is another calculated addition to a winning formula. For Harrison, it is a first test in unfamiliar conditions, in a league that rarely forgives slow starters.
Zampa hunts an elusive title in new colours. Harrison steps into the furnace of a dynasty club. The BBL’s next chapter already has its subplots.
