BREAKOUT QUICK SIGNS | Heat Swoop On T20 Max Star

Sydney teenager Oli Patterson has earned the 18th contract spot on the 2025-26 Brisbane Heat playing roster, signing a one-year deal in the wake of a breakout campaign with Western Suburbs in the T20 Max in August.
 
The left-arm pace bowler, who will turn 20 during BBL|15, finished as the leading wicket-taker in the T20 Max competition.

Patterson, a former Australian Under-19 representative, snared 15 wickets at an average of 9.73 and only conceded 6.4 runs an over in the pre-season T20 Max competition.

He was named in the T20 Max Team of the Tournament alongside the likes of BBL contracted players such as Jack Wildermuth, Gurinder Sandhu, Jimmy Peirson, Lachlan Hearne, Hugh Weibgen, Cam Boyce and James Bazley.
 
The son of former NSW player Mark Patterson, the young paceman opted to try his luck in the KFC T20 Max in the wake of the competition’s growing reputation as a gateway league to the Big Bash.
 
Patterson played a Youth Test and two Youth ODIs against India in October last year where two of his teammates on the tour in Oliver Peake (Renegades) and Aidan O’Connor (Thunder) have also since signed BBL deals.
 
He was a member of the victorious NSW Under-19 National Championships team last season and has been a regular wicket-taker in first grade for Eastern Suburbs in NSW Premier Cricket.
 
A whippy fast bowler who swings the new ball, he has recently relocated to Brisbane where he has again linked with Western Suburbs as he begins his build-up to this summer’s BBL.
 
Patterson said he was thrilled to have been given the opportunity to join the Brisbane Heat.
 
“It’s a bit surreal to go from watching the Heat play from the stands, to now be looking forward to the first training session with the squad,’’ he said.
 
“It’s been a bit nerve-wracking to come up to Queensland from Sydney, but I have been so fortunate to join Western Suburbs which have been incredibly supportive and a real family club, just like Eastern Suburbs has been for me in Sydney.
 
“The T20 Max was a fantastic experience which I thoroughly enjoyed. I was keen to test myself in a strong competition and get my season off to a good start, but I wasn’t expecting to find myself in the Heat squad at the end.
 
“I can’t wait to get involved now that I have made the move up and am excited to get to know the players, the staff, and make the most of my time in Brisbane.”
 
“The Heat have a great squad, and I will be pinching myself to be in a position to learn more from being around such outstanding fast bowlers like Shaheen Shah Afridi, Spencer Johnson, Xavier Bartlett and Michael Neser.”
 
Brisbane Heat coach Johan Botha said Patterson had been a clear stand-out during the T20 Max.
 
“We knew there were some very talented players coming into the competition that we were keen to look at, and Oli certainly showed his skills and ability for Wests from the outset,’’ he said.
 
“With Cal Vidler making his way back from a back injury, we were very pleased to be able to enhance our bowling group with another young quick, especially a left-armer with good skills and pace like Oli has,’’ he said.

 
Patterson joins the like of Spencer Johnson, Josh Brown, Nathan McSweeney and Jack Wood as players who have linked with the Heat in the wake of impressive campaigns in the KFC T20 Max competition.
 
Other BBL and WBBL cllubs have also signed recruits following eye-catching efforts in the T20 Max competition, which was launched in 2022.
 
Tickets for the Heat’s WBBL and BBL seasons are selling quickly through Ticketek.
 
The Heat have five bumper BBL home games this summer with two Fridays, two Saturdays, and a Sunday game locked in at the Gabba.
 
Brisbane will host the Perth Scorchers on Opening Night on Friday 19 December 2025, the Adelaide Strikers in the Festive Bash on 27 December 2025 and the Melbourne Stars in the New Year’s Bash on Saturday 2 January 2026.
 
Included in the Heat’s five home matches is a rare day game, with the Heat hosting the Sydney Thunder on Saturday 10 January 2026 in a 3pm match as part of a bumper BBL double-header that day.
 
The Heat will host the last game of the regular season, a potential blockbuster against the Sydney Sixers at the Gabba on Sunday 18 January 2026.

 
BBL|15 Brisbane Heat squad:
Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pak), Tom Alsop (Eng), Xavier Bartlett, Max Bryant, Lachlan Hearne (NEW), Spencer Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan McSweeney, Colin Munro (NZ), Michael Neser, Oli Patterson (NEW), Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Callum Vidler, Hugh Weibgen (NEW), Jack Wildermuth.