Bevon Jacobs to skip Auckland duties for BBL stint with Brisbane Heat
Synopsis
New Zealand's Bevon Jacobs is set to miss Auckland's Plunket Shield clash to fill in for England's Tom Curran at the Brisbane Heat — a three-match BBL window that doubles as a high-stakes audition for one of T20 cricket's most explosive young hitters, who already has a 40-ball hundred and an IPL contract to his name.
Key Takeaways
Bevon Jacobs , 24, has been signed by Brisbane Heat as a short-term replacement for Tom Curran in the BBL .
He will be available for three matches: December 15 , December 17 , and December 21 , all before Curran returns for the Boxing Day fixture.
Jacobs will miss Auckland 's Plunket Shield game against Central Districts beginning December 15 .
He struck a 40-ball hundred in the T20 Max 2024 competition, earning an IPL contract with Mumbai Indians for ₹30 lakh .
Queensland Cricket's Bennett King said the franchise has had Jacobs on its recruiting list since his T20 Max performance.
New Zealand batter Bevon Jacobs will forgo his domestic commitments with Auckland to join the Brisbane Heat for a short-term stint in the Big Bash League (BBL), Queensland Cricket confirmed. The 24-year-old right-hander has been signed as a replacement for England allrounder Tom Curran, who will sit out the early matches due to family commitments.
What the BBL Stint Involves
Jacobs will be available for the Heat's BBL opener against the Sydney Sixers on December 15, as well as the following two fixtures on December 17 and December 21. Curran is expected to return ahead of schedule for the Boxing Day clash against the Sixers in Sydney, effectively ending Jacobs's short-term cover role.
Notably, the BBL window overlaps with New Zealand's premier domestic red-ball competition, the Plunket Shield. Jacobs's Heat availability means he will miss Auckland's Plunket Shield match against Central Districts, which is also scheduled to begin on December 15.
A Familiar Face in Australia
The assignment is not Jacobs's first experience of Australian conditions. He recently toured Australia with the New Zealand A side for the Top End T20 Series, where he struck a 30-ball 58 to help his team defeat the Hobart Hurricanes Academy.
His Australian connection goes back further. In 2024, Jacobs competed in the T20 Max competition, smashing a 40-ball hundred — a performance that put him firmly on the radar of T20 franchise scouts. That innings directly led to him being signed by Mumbai Indians in the 2025 IPL auction for ₹30 lakh. He will also join compatriot Tim Robinson in the Heat squad this BBL season.
What Queensland Cricket Said
Bennett King, Queensland Cricket's General Manager – High Performance, said the franchise had been tracking Jacobs since his T20 Max breakthrough. 'Bevon has been on our recruiting lists since he showed his power and skill in the T20 Max a few seasons ago, and it's been exciting to see him earn his first international caps since then,' King said.
'He has been successful at the top of the order and as a finisher in his career so far, and we're looking forward to seeing him in action for the Heat,' he added.
What to Watch
Jacobs's inclusion adds genuine T20 firepower to a Brisbane Heat side that opens its BBL campaign against one of the competition's most consistent franchises in the Sydney Sixers. With three matches confirmed before Curran returns, his brief stint will serve as a high-profile audition on the biggest domestic T20 stage in Australia.
Point of View
Delivering an IPL deal and now a BBL placement in quick succession. The trade-off, however, is real: skipping a Plunket Shield match signals that New Zealand domestic cricket is increasingly competing for player availability against the global T20 franchise calendar. For Brisbane Heat, the short-term cover logic is sound, but three matches is a narrow window to extract value from an overseas slot. Whether Jacobs can translate his power-hitting to BBL conditions against established bowling attacks will be the genuine test of whether the hype has substance.
NationPress
9 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Bevon Jacobs joining Brisbane Heat in the BBL?
Bevon Jacobs has been signed as a short-term replacement for England's Tom Curran, who is unavailable at the start of the BBL season due to family commitments. Jacobs will cover three matches before Curran returns for the Boxing Day fixture.
Which matches will Bevon Jacobs play for Brisbane Heat?
Jacobs is available for Brisbane Heat's BBL opener against Sydney Sixers on December 15, and the following two matches on December 17 and December 21. Tom Curran is expected to return for the Boxing Day game against the Sixers in Sydney.
What domestic commitment will Jacobs miss for the BBL?
Jacobs will miss Auckland's Plunket Shield match against Central Districts, which begins on December 15 — the same day as Brisbane Heat's BBL opener. The Plunket Shield is New Zealand's premier domestic red-ball competition.
What is Bevon Jacobs known for in T20 cricket?
Jacobs gained wide attention after scoring a 40-ball hundred in the 2024 T20 Max competition in Australia. That innings led to him being signed by Mumbai Indians in the 2025 IPL auction for ₹30 lakh. He also scored a 30-ball 58 for New Zealand A against the Hobart Hurricanes Academy in the Top End T20 Series.
Who is Bevon Jacobs replacing and when does that player return?
Jacobs is replacing England allrounder Tom Curran, who is missing the early BBL matches due to family commitments. Curran is set to return ahead of schedule for the Boxing Day fixture against Sydney Sixers in Sydney.
