The Test retiree with one more BBL season
Khawaja is a left-handed batter, and his game is built on class and patience. He plays the ball late, finds gaps rather than clearing ropes, and is at his best when the innings needs building. In T20 cricket that is a rarer skill than it sounds — and it is why he has lasted so long at the top.
His Test retirement changes the picture. Khawaja spent the second half of his career as Australia’s Test opener, scoring hundreds in the Ashes and on tours of Asia, and he retired from Test cricket before BBL|16. The Heat are now his main stage, and he arrives with his schedule clear and his experience undimmed.
An Ashes opener and a World Test champion
Khawaja’s career is one of Australian cricket’s great second acts. He debuted for Australia in 2011, lost his place, and then returned in 2022 to become the side’s first-choice Test opener — scoring twin hundreds in Sydney on his comeback, winning the World Test Championship in 2023, and playing in Ashes series home and away.
He has also been a Heat player for years, and his one-year deal for BBL|16 takes him into another season in teal. The question of the captaincy is still open: Khawaja has led the side before, but the club has not yet confirmed who captains BBL|16.
What Khawaja brings to BBL|16
Khawaja is one of the announced contracted players for BBL|16 — the full squad has not been announced yet — and his role is the experienced opener who sets the tempo. With Max Bryant and Tim Robinson around him, the Heat have youth and power at the top; Khawaja is the calm head who makes sure the innings does not run away from the side.
Watch his batting in the powerplay. If Khawaja gets through the first six overs, the Heat’s middle order can play with freedom; if he falls early, the young hitters have to rebuild. There are no BBL|16 numbers for Khawaja yet; the season starts on 12 December, and his first innings of the campaign comes against Sydney Sixers at the Gabba on 15 December.
What’s next
BBL|16 runs from 12 December 2026 to 26 January 2027. The opener is Match 1, Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers, on Saturday 12 December at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai — the first BBL match played outside Australia — starting at 2:40 PM IST (2:10 PM PKT). Usman’s team, the Brisbane Heat, open their campaign in Match 2. The full list of every BBL fixture is on the BBL Schedule.
- Match 2 — Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers: Tuesday 15 December 2026, 1:45 PM IST (1:15 PM PKT), The Gabba, Brisbane (Home).
- Finals: The finals are the Qualifier on 19 January, the Knockout on 20 January, the Challenger on 23 January and the final on 26 January, Australia Day. Finals venues and times are still to be confirmed.
- Points: Eight teams play ten league matches each. A win is worth 2 points, a no result is worth 1, and the top four qualify for the finals, with net run rate deciding places when teams are level on points.
Follow every BBL result as it happens on SialTV, with the points table updated after every match day.
Frequently asked questions
Is Usman Khawaja captain of Brisbane Heat in BBL|16?
That is still to be decided. Khawaja has re-signed on a one-year deal after retiring from Test cricket, but the club has not yet confirmed who captains the side in BBL|16.
What is Usman Khawaja’s role for Brisbane Heat?
He is a left-handed opening batter whose job is to set the tempo of the innings and use his experience to steady a young top order.
When is Brisbane Heat’s first match?
Match 2 against Sydney Sixers on Tuesday 15 December 2026, starting at 1:45 PM IST (1:15 PM PKT) at The Gabba in Brisbane.