The landscape of the Australian cricketing summer was forever changed with the introduction of the Big Bash League in 2011.
Australian cricket's most prominent names - Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne and Matthew Hayden among them - and aspiring domestic talents were brought together for the newly formed, city-based competition that brought fireworks, fun and phenomenal matches of limited-overs cricket.
The first game between the Sixers and Heat was jam-packed with bona fide stars and future champions from Australia and beyond; a Brett Lee bouncer which split open Brendon McCullum in the first two overs a small snippet as to how seriously the competition would be taken.
International stars including the likes of South African superstar Herschelle Gibbs, New Zealand power-hitter 'Baz' McCullum and the West Indies 'Universe Boss' Chris Gayle were also in tow, helping put the BBL on the map as white-ball cricket gained more and more momentum over the ensuing years.
The Sixers ultimately bookended the season with a historic triumph. Captained by a young Steve Smith, the magenta-clad outfit wrote themselves into the history books with the competition's inaugural title, laying the foundations for a slew of super-charged summers.
