Big Bash League: Kevin Pietersen, Stuart Broad and Eoin Morgan lead English contingent

The Big Bash League gets underway for it's sixth season on December 20 with the Sydney Thunder looking to defend their title.

As ever, players from across the planet will descend on Australia for the five week T20 extravaganza, with a host of England stars - past and present - among them.

But who will be plying their trade where?

Adelaide Strikers - Chris Jordan

Adil Rashid's stint in Adelaide last winter could hardly have gone any better. Rather than carry the drinks on England's tour of South Africa, the leg-spinner was honing his skills Down Under, ending as top wicket-taker in the BBL05 group stage and finishing the tournament with 16 wickets at an average of 14.12.

The experience is believed to have been a key factor in Rashid's rise over the past 12 months, firstly in white-ball cricket and, more recently, in the Test arena. However, with England's fifth Test against India not due to finish until the opening day of the Big Bash campaign, all-rounder Jordan, after an impressive year in the T20 format, will replace him for the opening two games at least before - assuming he is selected - joining up with England for the limited-overs series in India, in January.

For the time he is available though, Jordan, alongside team-mates including Kieron Pollard, Ben Dunk and Brad Hodge, will be aiming to put the Strikers in a position to improve on their efforts last year when they were beaten by eventual winners Sydney Thunder in the semi-finals.

Hobart Hurricanes - Stuart Broad

So often a target of the boo-boys, Broad will be in the unfamiliar position of being supported by, at least some, Australian fans as he joins the Hurricanes for BBL06 in an attempt to force his way back into England's white-ball plans.

The England seamer has made just two ODI appearances in the last 18 months, both of which came in South Africa last February, and you have to go back to England's shock defeat to the Netherlands in the 2014 World T20 to find his most recent T20I outing.

Broad now has his chance to show that he is still a top-class performer as he joins the likes of Kumar Sangakkara, Dan Christian and Shaun Tait at a Hobart team who ended the group stage last season in seventh place.

Melbourne Stars - Kevin Pietersen, Luke Wright

Last year's beaten finalists boast two of England's 2010 World T20 winning side with Pietersen back for his third season in the Big Bash and Wright returning for his sixth, having joined the Stars for the inaugural competition in 2011.

Pietersen has scored more runs than any other Stars batsmen in his two years with the Melbourne side, scoring 323 at 40.37 in BBL05. Wright, meanwhile, also played solely as a batsmen last year and averaged 35.00 - an unbeaten 109 against city rivals the Renegades the highlight.

With James Faulkner, Adam Zampa, John Hastings and Glenn Maxwell also among the Stars' ranks, Pietersen and Wright will feel they are part of a side more than capable of going one better than their runners up finish in BBL05.

Perth Scorchers - Ian Bell, David Willey

After reaching the final in each of the first four Big Bash tournaments, winning in 2014 and 2015, the Scorchers failed to make it five in a row as they lost to the Stars in the semis.

David Willey was part of that Perth side and he is back with the Western Australia outfit again and this time he is joined by Ian Bell, who replaces Michael Carberry as the Scorchers second overseas player.

Willey remains an integral part of England's white-ball side so is likely to miss the latter part of the tournament to join up with the ODI squad in India but Bell, his international days seemingly behind him now, will be with the Scorchers throughout as, buoyed by the signing of Mitchell Johnson, they target a third Big Bash title.

Sydney Sixers - Sam Billings, Jason Roy

The SCG will be the home of two of England top one-day talents over the Christmas period with Billings and Roy signed up to the Sixers.

It is Roy's second spell in Sydney for the Big Bash, having spent a short time with rivals Sydney Thunder during BBL04, while Billings, after a successful time in the IPL with the Delhi Daredevils earlier in the year, will be getting his first taste of the competition.

The duo face a tough ask to turnaround the fortunes of the Sixers, who ended bottom of the table in last year's event despite having Australia internationals Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird and Nathan Lyon among their number. It remains to be seen how much that quartet will be available though as Australia host Pakistan in a three-match Test series over the same period.

Sydney Thunder - Eoin Morgan

With a three ODIs and a trio of T20I clashes for England in India starting in January, Morgan will prepare for that challenge with a second spell at Sydney Thunder.

After opting out of the tour of Bangladesh, the England white-ball captained has not played since the beginning of September but will be looking to hit the ground running for the Thunder and make an impression before he leaves for India.

Joining the reigning champions means that Morgan will have to work hard to earn his place in the team and faces competition from Shane Watson and Usman Khawaja among others.

The only sides without an English presence in this year's Big Bash are the Brisbane Heat and the Melbourne Renegades although neither are short of big-name players.

Brendon McCullum will captain the Heat, who also have West Indian spinner Samuel Badree to call upon, while the Renegades' have two West Indians of their own - Dwayne Bravo and Sunil Narine - as well as Aussies T20 experts Aaron Finch and Brad Hogg.