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Hobart Hurricanes captain Matthew Wade will miss his side's Big Bash League clash with the Brisbane Heat on Saturday night due to personal reasons.

Hobart Hurricanes skipper Matthew Wade will sit out the Big Bash League competition indefinitely for personal reasons.

Wade has been left out of Hobart's 14-man squad for their clash with the Brisbane Heat at the Gabba on Saturday night.

"He's okay. It's just something he's working through at the moment," Hurricanes coach Adam Griffith told reporters on Friday.

"We don't really have a timeline just as yet, but we're hopeful of having him back at the back-end of the tournament."

It is a big blow for the fourth-placed Hurricanes, who have lost their last two matches after putting together a three-game winning streak.

Peter Handscomb will take the captaincy duties, while in-form Ben McDermott will fill in with the gloves.

Griffith said he was yet to decide on Wade's replacement at the top of a Hurricanes batting order that is searching for consistency.

Quick Riley Meredith is in the squad after bowling just one over in Hobart's seven-wicket loss to the Adelaide Strikers on Wednesday.

"It was probably a case of caution the other night. We didn't want to risk him. It was pretty wet and he was coming back from a hamstring (injury) as well," Griffin said.

"We could have potentially pushed him but we've still got a big tournament to play.

"It's just a little rib thing. It's something he's had for a period of time on and off over the last six-to-12 months."

Tasmanian Tigers representative Gabe Bell and young Queenslander Will Sanders have been added to the Hurricanes squad, boosting their pace stocks without Nathan Ellis (injury), Joel Paris (injury) and Scott Boland (Australia).

The coronavirus-hit Heat will be aiming to bounce back from a heavy loss to the Melbourne Renegades in a match where they were forced to field eight debutants.