The 36-year-old has made sure he has been spending time in the middle, particularly in Twenty20 cricket competitions in the Caribbean and Bangladesh, as well as playing grade cricket for Sutherland, to ensure he is fit ahead of a BBL season that gets underway tonight with the derby clash against the Sydney Sixers.

"Last year I had a big chunk off," he said on Monday. "I had about four months off and had a couple of practice matches or tried to get a couple of practice matches in the lead up to the first game and tweaked my calf.

"I learnt from that and just made sure I've kept my body ticking over. I had a hamstring niggle through the middle part but at least I was able to keep my skills ticking over instead of coming off nothing and then trying to crank it up as the season's starting."

Watson has been in sensational form in Sydney Premier Cricket, smashing 16 sixes and one four in an unbeaten 114 from 53 balls for Sutherland against Mosman.

"It's been awesome to be able to get back and get a bit of constant cricket under my belt and constant training," he said.

"Things have worked out nicely at certain times to be able to get some runs, especially last weekend on Sunday in the lead up to the Big Bash. To be able to get a good innings under my belt is a really good confidence builder leading into this first game."

Watson will face a sterner test of his form and fitness against last season's runners-up in tonight's Big Bash opener at Spotless Stadium.

He will come up against Sixers' spearhead Sean Abbott, who took 20 wickets last season to be the competition's leading wicket-taker.

"Everyone that you face in the Big Bash, it's a great challenge," Watson said. "It's not until you really step it up to that next level that you really know exactly where your batting is at. But for me, I know the foundations of batting are very strong because of the consistent batting that I've had for the last couple of months as well."

Watson's opposite number, Sixers captain Moises Henriques, hasn't had the smoothest of preparations, having injured his groin before NSW's last Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania. He won't be able to bowl until "game three or four" of the Big Bash.

The Sixers' bowling line-up will be weakened for the first few Big Bash games, with young quicks Ben Dwarshuis and Mickey Edwards recovering from injury.

Both captains said the rivalry between the Sydney teams provided added spice to the opening game of the season and extra motivation for the players.

"It is always nice when your first game is a win but it's a win against the Sydney Thunder, the cross-town rivals," Henriques said.

"I've got a lot of good mates in that team, which strangely enough makes the win even better. I'm going to have to train with them for the next three or four months and it's nice to just have that little bit of bragging right."

Watson agreed that victory would taste even sweeter if it came at the Sixers' expense.

"There's no doubt it would be an awesome start, there's no question," Watson said.

"There's a lot riding on the game just for the rivalry alone let alone it being at our home ground. We want to make sure that we build a fortress there."