The Perth Scorchers are bracing to kick off their BBL campaign without star batter Josh Inglis, but New Zealand opener Finn Allen is being backed to light up Optus Stadium.
Perth will be below strength for Sunday's season opener against the Melbourne Stars, with Aaron Hardie (quad) already ruled out and Ashton Turner (side), Ashton Agar (shoulder) and Cooper Connolly (broken hand) still under some doubt.
Inglis is currently with the Australian squad in Brisbane as a reserve batter ahead of the third Test against India, starting Saturday.
Scorchers coach Adam Voges says it's unlikely Inglis will receive clearance for the BBL opener.
"My understanding is not at this stage," Voges told reporters on Friday.
"We're in constant communication with (Australia selector) George Bailey and the Australian selectors around Josh's availability.
"I think it's going to be tough to get him over from Brisbane for Sunday, which is disappointing.
"We'd love to have him. But we'll keep that communication going, and hopefully we'll see Josh sooner rather than later."
Hardie could miss the Scorchers' first three matches due to his quad injury, with the allrounder unlikely to bowl until January.
But Scorchers fans can look forward to seeing 25-year-old Kiwi blaster Allen in action.
Allen boasts an average of 24.3 and a strike rate of 158.7 from his 47 T20 internationals, and he's been smacking his new Scorchers teammates all over the park in match simulation.
"He hits a big ball," Voges said.
"I think he's going to put some pressure on opposition attacks, and that's why we've brought him over.
"I think he's one of the most destructive opening batters in the game, and hopefully he can really light up Optus and get us off to some fast starts."
Perth still need a green light from Cricket Australia to play injury-prone pace stars Jhye Richardson and Lance Morris.
The Stars will be without allrounder Glenn Maxwell (hamstring), while Ben Duckett will miss the first three games through international duties.
