New Delhi. Former England captain and star all-rounder Ben Stokes has made a big record in his name by returning to franchise cricket. Stokes will be seen playing for Adelaide Strikers in the 2026-27 season of the upcoming Big Bash League i.e. BBL. The special thing is that with his signing, Stokes has become the most expensive player in BBL history. His deal has created a new benchmark in the league regarding the price of foreign players. Stokes will be available with the team for the entire season and the Strikers will be expecting match-winning performances from him with both bat and ball.
Stokes' relationship with BBL is not new. He previously played for Melbourne Renegades in the 2014–15 season. During that time he participated in four matches. After this he remained away from this league for a long time. Now he is going to return to BBL after about 12 years. Many franchises wanted to include him in their team but in the end Adelaide Strikers won. The team has signed a one-year contract with him.
Recently changes have been made in the contract system in BBL. The league has re-implemented the direct signing model under which franchises get the freedom to sign players directly and spend higher amounts for them. Under this new system, Stokes has become the first foreign player to be signed for the entire season. According to the report, his deal is worth around Rs 3.5 crore i.e. around 3 lakh 60 thousand US dollars. This amount is also higher than the previous platinum level top band of around Rs 2.84 crore.
Adelaide Strikers coach and former Australian captain Tim Paine has described Stokes as one of the great all-rounders in cricket history. He believes that Stokes has the ability to withstand pressure in big matches and change the course of the match. Stokes has also expressed his excitement about playing in Australia and said that he did not want to miss the opportunity to join the Adelaide Strikers. His first match will be against Sydney Thunder in Canberra on 16 December, while on 23 December he will play for the first time at the home ground of his new team at Adelaide Oval.
This comeback is also special for Stokes because he had said goodbye to international cricket in June 2026. After this, his focus seems to be increasing on franchise cricket. He has not even played regular T20 cricket for a long time. He was last seen playing T20 cricket in The Hundred in 2024 where he suffered a hamstring injury.
The demand for Stokes has been very high in IPL also. He has been a part of three different teams. In 2017, Rising Pune Supergiant bought him for Rs 14.5 crore and he became the most expensive foreign player in IPL history at that time. After this, in 2023, Chennai Super Kings added him for Rs 16.25 crore. However, due to injury he could play only two matches that season. Both T20 centuries of Stokes have also come in IPL.
One of Stokes' most memorable T20 innings in Australia came in the 2022 T20 World Cup final when he scored an unbeaten 52 against Pakistan to make England the champions. Now all eyes will be on his return to BBL. Adelaide Strikers will hope that Stokes' availability throughout the season will play an important role in making the team a strong title contender.