Imagining Every Big Bash League Team's Key Player as a Star Wars Character

The Big Bash is only entering its fifth season, but it's already a staple of the Australian summer.

What began as a novelty in 2011-12 has blossomed into must-see television and is virtually certain to outperform the Test series against the hapless West Indies.

This year, the tournament launches just one day before the global release of the newest installment in the Star Wars saga.

What better way to celebrate two global phenomenons.

May the force be with us all.

Adil Rashid: Kylo Ren

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Kylo Ren is the apparent villain in the newest Star Wars film—The Force Awakens. 

Ren looks cool, has a scary voice and has a unique lightsaber. 

Before any of us have seen the film, it is tough to know whether he is going to be an awesome addition to the universe or just a pale facsimile of Darth Vader. 

The same could be said of English all-rounder Adil Rashid. 

Rashid has not played in the Big Bash before. His history gives us little to go on (he's only played 10 T20s for England), but a first-class average of 35.25 suggests he should be handy with the bat, while his 105 domestic T20 wickets vouch for his bowling qualities. 

The Adelaide Strikers dominated the tournament's home and away portions last season, but were crushed in the semi-final against the Sydney Sixers.

Much like the Empire's defeat at the Battle of Endor, that embarrassing defeat allowed other powers to rise in Adelaide's place.

Can Rashid be the man to restore his team's former glory?

Kumar Sangakkara: Mace Windu

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Quiet, respectful, great leaders and the universe's very best with a blade in their hands, Kumar Sangakkara and Mace Windu have a lot in common. 

Windu was the Jedi's greatest warrior and led the Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Senator Padme Amidala rescue in Episode II: Attack of the Clones. 

In that adventure, Samuel L. Jackson's character got the best out of a diverse team and Sangakkara will have to do the same for the Hobart Hurricanes where Shaun Tait, George Bailey, Tim Paine and Darren Sammy will all be in his corner. 

Hopefully, Sangakkara doesn't attempt to stop any coups d'etat during his time in Hobart. We all remember how that went for old Mace.

Chris Gayle: Han Solo

Han Solo is unquestionably the coolest character in the Star Wars universe. His counterpart in the Big Bash League could only be Chris Gayle. 

Much like Solo, the big West Indian treads a careful line between frustration and brilliance. Both are lovable rogues and would probably win any popularity contest you entered them in. 

Gayle even has Harrison Ford's winning smile and, as the Melbourne Renegades' opening batsman this BBL season, he'll always shoot first. 

Gayle has also been accused of having certain mercenary tendencies, much like Solo in the first film. 

Maybe if we're very lucky, Gayle will have a change of heart and make a surprise reappearance to rescue the West Indies' apparently disastrous tour, just like Han Solo did at the first Death Star.

Steve Smith: Luke Skywalker

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Blond-hair, blue-eyed golden child. Need we say more? 

Steve Smith and Luke Skywalker may have been born with the talent to rule the galaxy, but they both had to work at it. 

When Smith first emerged in international cricket, like Luke Skywalker's confrontation with Darth Vader at Cloud City, he wasn't ready. 

He failed and had to disappear for a while, sharpen up his technique and get stronger.

The brilliant Australian captain we all know and love today is Return of the Jedi Luke. 

Smith is now a master, and he's the Sydney Sixers' key man.

Jacques Kallis: Old Obi-Wan

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Obi-Wan Kenobi was the grand old man of the original trilogy. 

His battle with Darth Vader in A New Hope showed he was no longer at his physical peak, but he remained a vital influence on Luke Skywalker. 

He set the Empire's downfall into action, and The Rebellion would never have succeeded without him. 

Jacques Kallis will play pretty much the same role for the Sydney Thunder. 

The 40-year-old might have a couple of meaningful innings left in him, but his most important role will be that of the Thunder's senior statesman.

Michael Carberry: Lando Calrissian

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Michael Carberry made his first appearance in Australia on England's disastrous 2013/14 Ashes Tour. He started well, top-scoring at the Gabba with 40, but quickly disappeared along with the rest of the touring side. 

He has since resurrected his image, finishing fifth in the run-scoring chart in the last Big Bash. 

When we first meet Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back, he betrays our heroes by cutting a deal with Darth Vader. 

By the end of the trilogy, though, he was a vital part of the Rebellion's success. 

That journey from despair to redemption mirrors Carberry's own experience in Australia. 

Carberry may not be quite as smooth as Billy Dee Williams, but let's face it, who is? 

Glenn Maxwell: Chewbacca

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The biggest, strongest character in the Star Wars universe is Chewbacca. The Wookie is a constant companion of Han Solo and one of the franchise's most loved characters.

His physical prowess is his most well-known attribute, which is not so dissimilar to Melbourne Stars' big-hitting Glenn Maxwell.

Maxwell is probably the most powerful striker of a ball in world cricket and possesses one of the sport's great nicknames. 

He is, of course, "the Big Show." 

Not so long ago, that nickname seemed an ironic one, but Maxwell righted things with a pair of man-of-the-match performances in Australia's triumphant Cricket World Cup campaign.

Unlike Chewbacca at the end of A New Hope, Maxwell got his medal.

Daniel Vettori: Senator Bail Organa

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Senator Bail Organa is one of the prequel trilogy's more obscure characters, but he played a significant role in the Empire's rise and fall. 

Princess Leia's adoptive father and one of the Rebel Alliance's architects, Star Wars wouldn't have been what it was without Jimmy Smits' character. 

Brisbane Heat coach Daniel Vettori has been handed the difficult task of rebuilding a shattered team after last season's last-placed finish. 

The statesmanlike former New Zealand captain has a tough job ahead of him, but he's no stranger to lost causes. 

If he spots something that looks a lot like the moon looming over the Gabba, he might be wise to get out of dodge.