Big Bash League

Last updated

Big Bash League
Big Bash League (logo).png
Countries Australia
Administrator Cricket Australia
Format Twenty20
First edition 2011–12
Latest edition 2023–24
Next edition 2024–25
Tournament format Double round-robin and Knockout finals
Number of teams 8
Current champion Brisbane Heat (2nd title)
Most successful Perth Scorchers (5 titles)
Most runs Chris Lynn (3725)
Most wickets Sean Abbott (165)
TV Seven Network
Fox Cricket
Website bigbash.com.au

The Big Bash League (known as the KFC Big Bash League for sponsorship reasons, often abbreviated to BBL or Big Bash) is an Australian men's professional club Twenty20 cricket league, which was established in 2011 by Cricket Australia. The Big Bash League replaced the previous competition, the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash, and features eight city-based franchises instead of the six state teams which had participated previously. The competition has been sponsored by fast food-chicken outlet KFC since its inception. It was in 2016/17 one of the two T20 cricket leagues, alongside the Indian Premier League, to feature amongst the top ten domestic sport leagues in average attendance. The winner of BBL 13 (2023/2024) was the Brisbane Heat, who beat the Sydney Sixers by 54 runs in the final.

Contents

BBL matches are played in Australia during the summer, in December, January and February.

Out of the eight teams in the tournament, six have won the title at least once. The Perth Scorchers are the most successful team in the league's short history, having won the title five times including consecutively for two years twice. The Sydney Sixers have won the title three times, including consecutively for two years. The other four teams that have won the title are the Brisbane Heat, with two titles, and the Adelaide Strikers, Melbourne Renegades, and Sydney Thunder with one title each.

History

Trophy

A design contest was held in 2011 to determine the design of the Big Bash League trophy. The competition was restricted to Australian designers, with the final design, chosen by the public from a field of three, revealed on 13 December 2011. [1] [2]

Expansion proposal

Perth Scorchers taking on Hobart Hurricanes at the WACA in 2011 HobartVSPerth WACA.jpg
Perth Scorchers taking on Hobart Hurricanes at the WACA in 2011

It had been proposed that the tournament would undergo expansion into more regional areas not supported by international cricket. The expansion was originally planned to be implemented in 2012. The proposed teams included: Newcastle, Canberra, Geelong, and Gold Coast. A New Zealand-based team was also mentioned as a possibility which would be based at Auckland or Christchurch, but this is unlikely to happen. [3] [4] The expansion proposal was suspended, mainly because the proposed cities lacked the proper cricket hosting facilities. [5] [6]

Shane Warne bowling against Sydney Sixers in 2011 at the SCG Shane Warne MelbourneStars.jpg
Shane Warne bowling against Sydney Sixers in 2011 at the SCG

In 2015, former Black Caps captain and Melbourne Stars coach Stephen Fleming suggested the expansion of the tournament to include New Zealand teams and become a trans-Tasman competition. He said an expansion into New Zealand would be widely supported by locals. [7] His views were also supported by Brisbane Heat coach and former Black Caps captain Daniel Vettori. [8] Melbourne Renegades chief executive Stuart Coventry also stated that he wants Cricket Australia to grant each club a fifth home fixture next season. Coventry said the BBL was ready to expand from 8 to 10 games, and adding matches would further establish the franchises. [9]

In 2016, Anthony Everard, head of the BBL, flagged the league's intentions to approach expansion through a soft launch. He stated the short to medium term goal was to schedule BBL games involving existing franchises in regional markets before potentially adding new teams after the 2017–18 season when the broadcast deal expired. He also indicated the regional markets of Canberra, Geelong, Launceston, Gold Coast, and Alice Springs will likely host games during the soft launch period. [10] On 27 January 2017, Everard announced an extra eight matches would be added to the 2017–18 season and implored each existing franchise to look at new markets when considering where the extra games would be played, [11] although the lengthened season was not implemented until 2018–19.

In 2018, it was reported that the Gold Coast Suns were interested in securing a Big Bash League franchise if the competition was expanded. [12]

Women's Big Bash League

Former women's Test captain and Head of Brisbane's Centre of Excellence, Belinda Clark, revealed on 19 January 2014 that planning for a women's BBL was in its early stages but could become a reality very soon. She stated that the proposal was being considered due to the huge rise in television ratings during the 2013–14 season, and the rise in women's cricket popularity. [13]

On 19 February 2015, Cricket Australia announced that a Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) would commence in the 2015–16 season, with teams aligned to the men's competition. It was announced that the teams would share the names and colours of the existing men's BBL teams, meaning that there would be two teams from Sydney and Melbourne and one team from Adelaide, Brisbane, Hobart, and Perth. [14]

The inaugural Women's Big Bash League was won by the Sydney Thunder against the Sydney Sixers by 3 wickets. The current champion from the 2022–23 Women's Big Bash League season is Adelaide Strikers who won their maiden WBBL title by defeating Sydney Thunder by 10 runs.

Christmas Day match

In December 2015, Cricket Australia revealed that they are looking into the possibility of hosting a Christmas Day BBL match in the coming years, possibly after the next season. If the proposal is passed, it would have been a first in the history of Australian sport since no professional matches had played in Australia on Christmas Day at that time. "It is something we have just recently started discussing, the possibilities of that. We're talking about playing a Christmas Eve match, we already play Boxing Day," CA's Executive GM (Operations) Mike McKenna said. [15] This has not yet occurred, but in September 2018, it was reported that Cricket Australia had struck a deal with the Players Association to play BBL matches on Christmas Day. [16] [17]

Tournament format

Ben Cutting of Brisbane Heat batting against Melbourne Stars in 2014 Ben Cutting GABBA.jpg
Ben Cutting of Brisbane Heat batting against Melbourne Stars in 2014

Since the inception of the BBL in 2011, the tournament format has changed a number of times.

The first BBL season had 28 group stage matches, before expanding to 32 in the following season. [10]

In previous seasons of the tournament, the group stage matches were divided into eight rounds, with four matches played in each round. Each team played six other teams once during a season, and one team twice. This allowed for both Sydney and Melbourne (which have two teams each) to play 2 derbies within a single season. [18] Each team played eight group stage matches, four at home and four away, before the top four ranked teams progressed to the semi-finals. [18] In the 2017/18 Season, the format changed so that there would be 40 group stage matches with each team playing 10 matches before the semi-finals. [19] The season was held over a similar time-frame thus resulting in more doubleheaders (one game afternoon, one game night) and teams playing more regularly. [20]

From the 2018–19 season, each team played all other teams twice during a season, for a total of 56 regular season matches before the finals series.

The 2023-24 season was shortened, with each team played ten regular season matches, playing three teams twice, and four teams once; for a total of 40 regular season games and 4 finals. This was in response to concerns that the 61 game season was too long. [21]

The original BBL logo used up to 2014-15 season Big Bash League Logo.svg
The original BBL logo used up to 2014–15 season

The final of the tournament is played at the home ground of the higher-ranked team. The only exception to this rule was 2014–15 season when the final was played at a neutral venue (Manuka Oval), due to the 2015 Cricket World Cup. [22] [23]

In the 2018–19 season, the league introduced a 'bat flip' (instead of a coin toss) to decide who would bat/bowl first. [24]

Up to the 2018–19 season the top four teams contested the finals, which consisted of two semi-finals and a final.

The finals structure was changed in the 2019–20 season to include a fifth team, and a "double chance" for the top two teams. The structure was a hybrid version of the Page–McIntyre final four system with the addition of 'The Eliminator' being the difference between the original and hybrid versions.:

The BBL has reverted to a top four for the 2023/24 season, but kept the double chance for the top two teams:

Champions league

Before 2014, the top two teams in the tournament used to qualify for the Champions League Twenty20 tournament, which was an annual international Twenty20 competition played between the top domestic teams from various nations. The Champions League Twenty20 became defunct after its 2014 tournament. [25]

Current teams

The competition features eight city-based franchises, instead of the six state-based teams which had previously competed in the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash. Each state's capital city features one team, with Sydney and Melbourne featuring two. The team names and colours for all teams were officially announced on 6 April 2011. [26] The Melbourne Derby and Sydney Derby matches are some of the most heavily attended matches during the league and are widely anticipated by the fans. [27] The Scorchers and Sixers have also developed a rivalry between them over the years and their matches attract good crowds and TV ratings. [28]

A single city-based franchise can have a maximum of 19 contracted players for a season, with the squad including a minimum of two rookie contracts and a maximum of six overseas players, although only three international players can play in each match from 2020 to 2021 edition. Each team can also have a maximum of two overseas replacement players, in case the original overseas players get injured or withdraw. [29]

TeamLocationHome groundCoachCaptain
Adelaide Strikers Adelaide, South Australia Adelaide Oval TBC Matt Short
Brisbane Heat Brisbane, Queensland Brisbane Cricket Ground Johan Botha Usman Khawaja
Hobart Hurricanes Hobart, Tasmania Blundstone Arena Jeff Vaughan Nathan Ellis
Melbourne Renegades Melbourne, Victoria Marvel Stadium Cameron White Will Sutherland
Melbourne Stars Melbourne, Victoria Melbourne Cricket Ground Peter Moores TBC
Perth Scorchers Perth, Western Australia Perth Stadium Adam Voges Ashton Turner
Sydney Sixers Sydney, New South Wales Sydney Cricket Ground Greg Shipperd Moises Henriques
Sydney Thunder Sydney, New South Wales Sydney Showground Stadium Trevor Bayliss Chris Green

Rivalries

Throughout the history of the tournament rivalries have been formed by competition between teams and by teams being in the same city.

Sydney Smash

The Sydney Smash is a game between the Sydney based teams, the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder. This rivalry was started in the inaugural season due to both teams being from Sydney and being made up of New South Wales cricket team players. The Sixers have won 16 times to the Thunder's 7 but the game still attracts a large crowd for every game.

Melbourne Derby

The Melbourne Derby takes place between the two Melbourne based teams, the Melbourne Renegades and the Melbourne Stars. This derby is similar in nature to the Sydney Smash as the cores of both teams come from the Victoria cricket team and has been happening since the inaugural season of the competition. In BBL05 the game drew the largest crowd for a Big Bash game with 80,883 fans attending the game at the MCG. [30]

Perth Scorchers - Sydney Sixers

The Scorchers/Sixers rivalry has developed over the competition's 12 seasons due to their unparalleled success. The Scorchers have won the title five times and Sixers have claimed the trophy three times. The Scorchers and the Sixers have both been runners up three times. They've met in the final on five occasions. The Scorchers have won three of those encounters and the Sixers two. [31]

Tournament season and results

Perth Scorchers have won five titles and Sydney Sixers three. [32] Both of these teams have won the title in consecutive seasons. [33]

The Scorchers have reached the final of the tournament eight times. Out of the eight teams in the tournament, six have won the title at least once. Only two other teams (Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Stars) have reached the final at least twice. [34] The other three teams which have won the title once are the Sydney Thunder in (2015–16), [35] [36] the Adelaide Strikers in (2017–18), [37] and the Melbourne Renegades in (2018–19). [38] [39]

The WACA Ground has hosted the final on four occasions, the most of any venue.

Finals summary
SeasonFinalFinal hostFinal venueCity/TownAttendance
WinnerResultRunner-up
2011–12
Details
Sydney Sixers
3/158 (18.5 overs)
Sixers won by 7 wickets
Scorecard
Perth Scorchers
5/156 (20 overs)
Perth Scorchers WACA Ground Perth 16,255
2012–13
Details
Brisbane Heat
5/167 (20 overs)
Heat won by 34 runs
Scorecard
Perth Scorchers
9/133 (20 overs)
Perth Scorchers WACA Ground Perth 18,517
2013–14
Details
Perth Scorchers
4/191 (20 overs)
Scorchers won by 39 runs
Scorecard
Hobart Hurricanes
7/152 (20 overs)
Perth Scorchers WACA Ground Perth 20,783
2014–15
Details
Perth Scorchers
6/148 (20 overs)
Scorchers won by 4 wickets
Scorecard
Sydney Sixers
5/147 (20 overs)
Neutral venue Manuka Oval Canberra 11,837
2015–16
Details
Sydney Thunder
7/181 (19.3 overs)
Thunder won by 3 wickets
Scorecard
Melbourne Stars
9/176 (20 overs)
Melbourne Stars MCG Melbourne 47,672
2016–17
Details
Perth Scorchers
1/144 (15.5 overs)
Scorchers won by 9 wickets
Scorecard
Sydney Sixers
9/141 (20 overs)
Perth Scorchers WACA Ground Perth 21,832
2017–18
Details
Adelaide Strikers
2/202 (20 overs)
Strikers won by 25 runs
Scorecard
Hobart Hurricanes
5/177 (20 overs)
Adelaide Strikers Adelaide Oval Adelaide 40,732
2018–19
Details
Melbourne Renegades
5/145 (20 overs)
Renegades won by 13 runs
Scorecard
Melbourne Stars
7/132 (20 overs)
Melbourne Renegades Docklands Stadium Melbourne 40,816
2019–20
Details
Sydney Sixers
5/116 (12 overs)
Sixers won by 19 runs
Scorecard
Melbourne Stars
6/97 (12 overs)
Sydney Sixers SCG Sydney 10,121
2020–21
Details
Sydney Sixers
6/188 (20 overs)
Sixers won by 27 runs
Scorecard
Perth Scorchers
9/161 (20 overs)
Sydney Sixers SCG Sydney 25,295
2021–22
Details
Perth Scorchers
6/171 (20 overs)
Scorchers won by 79 runs
Scorecard
Sydney Sixers
10/92 (16.2 overs)
Neutral venue Docklands Stadium Melbourne 10,333
2022–23
Details
Perth Scorchers
5/178 (19.2 overs)
Scorchers won by 5 wickets
Scorecard
Brisbane Heat
7/175 (20 overs)
Perth Scorchers Perth Stadium Perth 53,886
2023–24
Details
Brisbane Heat
8/166 (20 overs)
Heat won by 54 runs
Scorecard
Sydney Sixers
112 (17.3 overs)
Sydney Sixers SCG Sydney 43,153

Team summary by season

Team 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023-24
Adelaide Strikers 6th5th7thSF (1st)SF (1st)6thW7thKO (3rd)EF (5th)CF (4th)7thCF (4th)
Brisbane Heat 5thW5th8th6thSF (2nd)7th5th7thCF (4th)7thRU (5th)W
Hobart Hurricanes SF (2nd)6thRU (4th)5th7th7thRU (4th)SF (1st)EF (4th)6thEF (5th)6th5th
Melbourne Renegades 7thSF (1st)6th6th5th5thSF (3rd)W8th8th8thKO (3rd)7th
Melbourne Stars SF (4th)SF (3rd)SF (1st)SF (3rd)RU (2nd)SF (4th)8thRU (4th)RU (1st)7th6th8th6th
Perth Scorchers RU (1st)RU (2nd)WWSF (3rd)WSF (1st)8th6thRU (2nd)WWKO (3rd)
Sydney Sixers W7thSF (2nd)RU (4th)8thRU (3rd)5thSF (3rd)WWRU (2nd)CF (2nd)RU (2nd)
Sydney Thunder 8th8th8th7thW8th6th6thCF (5th)KO (3rd)KO (3rd)EF (4th)8th

Notes:

Champions

TeamTotalChampion Seasons(s)
Perth Scorchers 5 2013–14, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2021–22, 2022–23
Sydney Sixers 3 2011–12, 2019–20, 2020–21
Brisbane Heat 2 2012–13, 2023–24
Melbourne Renegades 1 2018–19
Adelaide Strikers 1 2017–18
Sydney Thunder 1 2015–16
Melbourne Stars 0
Hobart Hurricanes 0

Wooden Spoons

The wooden spoon in Big Bash League is an imaginary and ironic "award" which is said to be won by the team finishing in last place in the Big Bash League. [40] [41]

Summary

TeamTotalWooden Spoon Season(s)
Sydney Thunder 5 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2016–17, 2023–24
Melbourne Renegades 3 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22
Melbourne Stars 2 2017–18, 2022–23
Brisbane Heat 1 2014–15
Sydney Sixers 1 2015–16
Perth Scorchers 1 2018–19
Adelaide Strikers 0
Hobart Hurricanes 0

Season records

SeasonWooden SpoonPldWLNRBPPts NRR
2011–12 Sydney Thunder 72504−1.250
2012–13 Sydney Thunder 80800−1.360
2013–14 Sydney Thunder 81702−0.654
2014–15 Brisbane Heat 82604−1.116
2015–16 Sydney Sixers 82604−0.330
2016–17 Sydney Thunder 83506−0.600
2017–18 Melbourne Stars 102804−0.926
2018–19 Perth Scorchers 1441008−0.502
2019–20 Melbourne Renegades 1431106−0.348
2020–21 Melbourne Renegades 144100416−1.727
2021–22 Melbourne Renegades 143101516−1.477
2022–23 Melbourne Stars 1431006−0.287
2023–24 Sydney Thunder 101724−0.652

Salary cap

The salary cap was initially $1 million, and increased to $1.05 million for the third season. [42] In February 2015, the salary cap increased to $1.3 million for the fifth season, [29] and to $1.6 million for the sixth season. [43]

In 2023-24 the cap was at $3 million AUD, with the ability to also have 2 players paid outside the cap. [44]

Prize money

Cricket Australia increased the prize money for the BBL to a total of $890,000 for the four finalists from 2015–16 season, after the Champions League Twenty20 tournament was discontinued with effect from 2015. The prize money will be split between the teams as follows: [45]

However, the additional cash increase of $600,000 will go to successful clubs and not their players. Up to the 2014–15 BBL season, a total prize money of $290,000 was awarded. [45]

Audience

Attendance

Melbourne Stars vs Hobart Hurricanes at the MCG on 6 January 2016 Melbourne Stars vs Hobart Hurricanes, BBL 05.jpg
Melbourne Stars vs Hobart Hurricanes at the MCG on 6 January 2016

Average home crowds for the season are listed below. These figures include finals matches. The figures for the whole season average include the finals. [46] [47] Post-Christmas matches have historically been the highest attended period for the League. [48] BBL has provided a platform to create interest in playing cricket among younger children, due to its big hitting, high scoring and entertaining nature of the game. [49]

The 2014–15 season saw record domestic cricket crowds in the states of South Australia, New South Wales, Tasmania and the ACT, including a record attendance of 52,633 at the Adelaide Strikers' home semi-final, which was then the biggest ever crowd at the redeveloped Adelaide Oval. [48]

In the 2015–16 season, attendance figure records continued to be broken across all the venues. Perth Scorchers became the first ever BBL team to sell out all of its home matches in a season. [50] On 2 January 2016, the BBL single match attendance record was surpassed, with a crowd of 80,883 watching the first of two Melbourne derbies between the Melbourne Stars and the Melbourne Renegades at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The Big Bash League also entered the top 10 most attended sports leagues in the world with respect to average crowd per match in this season. [51]

TeamHome crowd average
2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21^ 2021–22 ^ 2022–23 2023–24 Average
Adelaide Strikers 21,95013,31923,70439,29543,68941,34235,24728,09525,14310,6935,93121,10528,61626,010
Brisbane Heat 17,07215,89723,70824,70129,35334,37532,98022,34323,16712,6938,75116,69919,57021,639
Hobart Hurricanes 11,25112,1079,55213,77616,64017,57013,53611,3488,2995,1464,2187,0687,98210,653
Melbourne Renegades 13,32413,80421,92922,30129,01030,03328,31521,70315,5287,8147,36111,80921,16418,777
Melbourne Stars 27,42421,42619,95127,69840,29849,57831,62821,54121,4479,3009,67816,32020,69024,383
Perth Scorchers 15,23913,76218,06118,91820,27320,67926,72530,13326,58616,95216,108**31,16731,14421,981
Sydney Sixers 20,09213,28618,44623,84227,95630,36824,81517,79816,9953,01710,47016,96923,71319,059
Sydney Thunder 18,42310,27814,86617,93819,33320,68815,43212,46110,8884,1777,34510,11113,98213,532
Finals15,22217,56815,28627,88842,18225,64243,33422,85412,69125,2955,63225,72625,75623,467
Season average17,74914,19618,78123,53829,44330,12226,52820,55418,5208,992^7,371^16,72021,50519,540

^COVID-19 affected season

**Played one home game

Television

Australian television

BBL games are currently broadcast in Australia on free-to-air television by the Seven Network and subscription television by Fox Cricket. The Seven Network broadcasts 45 of 61 Matches including the Finals Series. Fox Cricket televises all 61 Matches including 16 Matches exclusively in 4K. [52]

The rights were previously held by Network 10, who in 2013 paid $100 million for BBL rights over five years, marking the channel's first foray in elite cricket coverage. [53]

Network 10's BBL coverage became a regular feature of Australian summers and attracted an average audience of more than 943,000 people nationally in 2014–15 season, including a peak audience of 1.9 million viewers for the final between the Scorchers and Sixers. [54]

The 2015–16 season attracted an average audience of 1.13 million for each match in Australia this season, an 18% increase over the previous season. A cumulative audience of 9.65 million watched the matches in Australia, out of which 39% were women. [55] [56] The opening Sydney Derby match of the season attracted a peak audience of 1.53 million. [57] The last group match between Renegades and Strikers in Season 2 was watched by an average audience of 1.36 million, which peaked at 1.67 million. [58] The BBL Final was watched by an average audience of 1.79 million, which peaked at 2.24 million viewers. This was the first time that the ratings for a BBL match crossed the 2 million mark. [59] The KFC BBL|10 Final reached 2.5 million viewers on Seven and 669,000 on Foxtel, capping an extraordinary season in which as players, officials, staff and broadcast partners successfully navigated through the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. [60]

Grounds

A total of 17 grounds have been used to host BBL matches to date. Sydney Thunder moved out of ANZ Stadium after the 2014–15 season and relocated to Sydney Showground Stadium for the next 10 years. From 2020, the tournament Final has been played at the home ground of the team that wins 'The Qualifier', a playoff match contested between the 2 teams finishing 1st and 2nd in the League. The WACA Ground has hosted the final 4 times, more times than any other venue. Manuka Oval hosted the final of 2014–15 BBL season as a neutral venue primarily because other major grounds were being prepared for the 2015 Cricket World Cup. [23]

Optus Stadium replaced the WACA Ground as the home ground of Perth Scorchers starting with the 2017–18 BBL semi-finals. Perth's home match against Hobart Hurricanes (and a doubleheader WBBL match featuring the Perth Scorchers and Sydney Thunder) became only the second public event at the new stadium.

In September 2017, the Adelaide Strikers agreed to play one home BBL and WBBL match at Traeger Park in Alice Springs over the course of the 2017–18 season. In 2018, they announced that one BBL and two WBBL matches would be held at Traeger Park for the 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons.

Since 2017–18, the Melbourne Renegades have played two matches per season at Kardinia Park in Geelong, Victoria and the Hobart Hurricanes play multiple games at UTAS Stadium in Launceston, Tasmania.

Panoramic SCG BBL.jpg
Panoramic view of the SCG during a Big Bash League match in 2011. It is the home ground of Sydney Sixers.
StadiumCapacityCityHome team
Current Grounds
Adelaide Oval 53,583 Adelaide Adelaide Strikers
Ninja Stadium 20,000 Hobart Hobart Hurricanes
Marvel Stadium 53,359 Melbourne Melbourne Renegades
Optus Stadium 60,000 Perth Perth Scorchers
The Gabba 42,000 Brisbane Brisbane Heat
Melbourne Cricket Ground 100,024 Melbourne Melbourne Stars
Sydney Showground Stadium 22,000 Sydney Sydney Thunder
Sydney Cricket Ground 48,000 Sydney Sydney Sixers
Secondary Grounds
UTAS Stadium 21,000 Launceston Hobart Hurricanes
GMHBA Stadium 26,000 [lower-alpha 1] Geelong Melbourne Renegades
Traeger Park 10,000 Alice Springs Hobart Hurricanes
Manuka Oval 12,000 Canberra Sydney Thunder
People First Stadium 25,000 Gold Coast Brisbane Heat
Melbourne Stars
Ted Summerton Reserve 7,500 Moe Melbourne Stars
Coffs Harbour International Stadium 20,000 Coffs Harbour Sydney Sixers
Cazalys Stadium 13,500 Cairns Brisbane Heat
Citi Power Centre 7,000 Melbourne Melbourne Stars
Former Grounds
Accor Stadium 82,000 Sydney Sydney Thunder (2011–2014)
WACA Ground 20,000 Perth Perth Scorchers (2011–2018)

Records and statistics

Chris Lynn, the leading run-scorer in BBL history Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Stars T20 7.jpg
Chris Lynn, the leading run-scorer in BBL history

Here is a list of Big Bash League records. All records are based on statistics at espncricinfo.com. [64] Former Brisbane Heat player and captain Chris Lynn currently holds the record of scoring most runs in the league. [65] The record of taking most wickets in the league belongs to Sean Abbott who currently plays for the Sydney Sixers. He has represented the Sydney Thunder in the past.

Batting Records
Most runs     Chris Lynn 3,725
Highest average   Laurie Evans 42.78
Highest score   Glenn Maxwell 154* vs Hobart Hurricanes (19 January 2022)
Highest partnership   Marcus Stoinis & Hilton Cartwright 207 vs Sydney Sixers (12 January 2020)
Most sixes     Chris Lynn 208
Bowling Records
Most wickets    Sean Abbott 161
Lowest average   Adil Rashid 14.12
Best strike rate   Paul Walter 10.50
Best economy rate   Lasith Malinga 5.40
Best bowling figures   Lasith Malinga 6/7 vs Perth Scorchers (12 December 2012)
Best bowling figures by a debutant   Daniel Sams 4/14 vs Sydney Thunder (19 December 2017)
Fielding
Most dismissals (wicket-keeper)     Josh Phillippe80
Most catches (fielder)   Jordan Silk 76
Team Records
Highest total   Melbourne Stars 273–2 (20) vs Hobart Hurricanes (19 January 2022)
Lowest total   Sydney Thunder 15 (5.5) vs Adelaide Strikers (16 December 2022)

Last updated on 12 January 2024

*Batting: At least 10 innings must be played

*Bowling: At least 100 balls must be bowled

See also

Notes

  1. The stadium is currently undergoing construction, which has reduced the stadium's capacity to around 26,000. [61] [62] The stadium will have a capacity of 40,000 once construction is complete. [63]

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The 2012–13 Big Bash League season or BBL|02 was the second season of the Big Bash League, the premier Twenty20 cricket competition in Australia. The tournament began on 7 December 2012, with the final being held on 19 January 2013.

The 2014–15 Big Bash League season or BBL|04 was the fourth season of the Big Bash League (BBL), the premier Twenty20 cricket competition in Australia. The fourth edition ran from 18 December 2014 to 28 January 2015. The league ran two weeks longer as compared to the previous season. The opening match of the 2014–15 Big Bash League was played between Adelaide Strikers and Melbourne Stars on 18 December at the Adelaide Oval. The format of fourth season is same as previous season. A total of 35 matches will be played during the Big Bash 2014–15 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's Big Bash League</span> Australian professional twenty20 cricket league

The Women's Big Bash League is the Australian women's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition. The WBBL replaced the Australian Women's Twenty20 Cup, which ran from the 2007–08 season through to 2014–15. The competition features eight city-based franchises, branded identically to the men's Big Bash League (BBL). Teams are made up of current and former Australian national team members, the country's best young talent, and up to three overseas marquee players.

The 2015–16 Big Bash League season (BBL|05) was the fifth season of the Big Bash League (BBL), the premier Twenty20 cricket competition in Australia. The tournament ran from 17 December 2015 to 24 January 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015–16 Women's Big Bash League season</span> Cricket tournament

The 2015–16 Women's Big Bash League season or WBBL|01 was the first season of the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), the semi-professional women's Twenty20 domestic cricket competition in Australia. The tournament ran from 5 December 2015 to 24 January 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016–17 Women's Big Bash League season</span> Cricket tournament

The 2016–17 Women's Big Bash League season or WBBL|02 was the second season of the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), the semi-professional women's Twenty20 domestic cricket competition in Australia. The tournament ran from 10 December 2016 to 28 January 2017.

The 2017–18 Big Bash League season or BBL|07 was the seventh season of the KFC Big Bash League, the professional men's Twenty20 domestic cricket competition in Australia. The tournament started on 19 December 2017 and finished on 4 February 2018. Perth Scorchers were the defending champions. The competition was extended to a total of 40 group games for the first time, each team playing ten matches in the group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017–18 Women's Big Bash League season</span> Cricket tournament

The 2017–18 Women's Big Bash League season or WBBL|03 was the third season of the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), the semi-professional women's Twenty20 domestic cricket competition in Australia. The tournament was scheduled from 9 December 2017 to 4 February 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018–19 Women's Big Bash League season</span> Cricket tournament

The 2018–19 Women's Big Bash League season or WBBL|04 was the fourth season of the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), the semi-professional women's Twenty20 domestic cricket competition in Australia. The tournament ran from 1 December 2018 to 26 January 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017–18 Perth Scorchers WBBL season</span>

The 2017–18 Perth Scorchers Women's season was the third in the team's history. Coached by Lisa Keightley and captained by Elyse Villani, the Scorchers ended the regular season of WBBL|03 in third place. They then defeated the Sydney Thunder by 27 runs in a semi-final at Optus Stadium to set up a re-match of the previous year's final against the Sydney Sixers. In the championship decider, held at Adelaide Oval, the Scorchers suffered a heavy nine-wicket loss to once again finish the tournament as runners-up.

The 2019–20 Big Bash League season or BBL|09 was the ninth season of the Big Bash League, the professional men's Twenty20 domestic cricket competition in Australia. The tournament started on 17 December 2019 and concluded on 8 February 2020.

The 2020–21 Big Bash League season or BBL|10 was the tenth season of the Big Bash League, the professional men's Twenty20 domestic cricket competition in Australia, with 61 matches played. On 15 July 2020, Cricket Australia confirmed the fixtures for the tournament. The tournament started on 10 December 2020, and finished on 6 February 2021, with the majority of the matches played at night.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018–19 Melbourne Stars WBBL season</span>

The 2018–19 Melbourne Stars Women's season was the fourth in the team's history. Coached by David Hemp and captained by Kristen Beams, they finished seventh in the regular season of WBBL|04 and failed to qualify for the finals.

The 2021–22 Women's Big Bash League season or WBBL|07 was the seventh season of the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), the semi-professional women's Twenty20 domestic cricket competition in Australia. The tournament was played from 14 October to 27 November 2021. The Sydney Thunder entered the season as the defending champions, having won their second title in WBBL|06, but failed to qualify for the knockout stage.

The 2021–22 Big Bash League season or BBL|11 was the eleventh season of the Big Bash League, the professional men's Twenty20 domestic cricket competition in Australia. The tournament was played from 5 December 2021 and finished on 28 January 2022. The Perth Scorchers defeated the defending champions Sydney Sixers by 79 runs in the final to claim their fourth title.

The 2022–23 Big Bash League season or BBL|12 was the twelfth season of the Big Bash League (BBL), the professional men's Twenty20 domestic cricket competition in Australia. The round-robin phase of the tournament ran from 13 December 2022 to 4 February 2023 with Perth Scorchers dominating the standings. Perth Scorchers won their fifth BBL title against the Brisbane Heat by 5 wickets.

The 2023–24 Big Bash League season or BBL|13 was the thirteenth season of the Big Bash League (BBL), the professional men's Twenty20 domestic cricket competition in Australia. It started on 7 December 2023 and the final was played on 24 January 2024, with the Brisbane Heat defeating the Sydney Sixers to win their second BBL title.

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