​BBL 2022-23: David Warner set to sign deal, Steve Smith might skip BBL 12

Steve Smith last played in the BBL in 2014

Cricket Australia (CA) is trying its best to acquire big Australian names for the upcoming Big Bash League (BBL) after facing competition from other leagues like the International League T20 (ILT20) and Cricket South Africa's proposed T20 League.

As per a report in WAtoday, former Australian captain Steve Smith might not feature in the BBL this season.  Smith has been a big name for the Sydney Sixers club ever since the league's inception.

In 20 BBL matches for the club, the 31-year-old has score 499 runs including four half-centuries. 

Smith was not allowed by CA to play in the last edition of BBL, after states voted against the star batter.

“At the moment he has decided not to commit. There is a lot of cricket coming up.” - Smith’s manager Warren Craig told the Herald and The Age.

David Warner to sign for Thunder?

David Warner was Thunder's first-ever captain

Similar reports suggest that opener David Warner will likely pen a deal with the Sixers' rivals Sydney Thunder over the weekend, in a never-before-seen contract.

Warner is expected to earn around 34,000 USD for playing just five matches. The one-time Indian Premier League title winner was earlier eyeing a contract in the cash-rich UAE-based ILT20.

The left-hander was the Thunder's captain in their inaugural BBL appearance in 2011.

Also Read: Sodhi and Hatzoglou sign up as replacement players in The Hundred 

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