The Hobart Hurricanes will play a home game in Launceston next summer, ending a two-season absence from the city.
The match will be held at UTAS Stadium during BBL16, marking the team’s first game there since the 2023-24 season.
It will bring Big Bash cricket back to northern Tasmania, where the Hurricanes were once a regular fixture.
The men’s team first played a Big Bash match in Launceston in December 2017 and returned most seasons after that.
Cricket Tasmania chief executive Dominic Baker said the team wanted a big turnout to justify keeping a game in the north every year.
“We will be bringing the full show to town and we want to see cricket and sports fans turn out in their thousands to prove that we should continue to prioritise a game here every year,” he said.
Baker said the average crowd at Ninja Stadium was 10,000 and he expected the north could beat that.
The Hurricanes plan to connect with the northern community over the next six months, with several opportunities for fans to get involved before the match.
Stadiums Tasmania chief executive James Avery welcomed the return.
“We’re delighted to welcome Cricket Tasmania and the Big Bash league back to UTAS Stadium, bringing elite cricket to fans in northern Tasmania and reinforcing the venue’s reputation as a destination for major sporting and entertainment events,” he said.
The date of the match will be confirmed when the full BBL16 schedule is released in the coming weeks.
