Big Bash League

Predecessor The KFC Twenty20 Big Bash was an Australian domestic Twenty20 cricket tournament. Running over six seasons from 2005–06 to 2010–11, the Twenty20 Big Bash was the first top level domestic Twenty20 competition in Australia, contested by the six traditional Sheffield Shield state cricket teams. The Victorian Bushrangers were the most successful team during the tournament's running, winning four out of the six titles. The competition was replaced by the franchise-based Big Bash League from 2011 to 2012. 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. The Power Surge The Power Surge is a strategic rule where the batting team can activate a two-over "floating" powerplay after the tenth over, allowing only two fielders outside the inner circle, designed to boost scoring and add excitement in the second half of the innings. It replaced the traditional six-over opening powerplay with a four-over initial one, giving teams tactical choice and creating more high-scoring opportunities for the batsmen. Expansion proposals 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. The expansion proposal was suspended, mainly because the proposed cities lacked the proper cricket hosting facilities. of Melbourne Stars bowling against Sydney Sixers at the SCG in 2011 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. His views were also supported by Brisbane Heat coach and former Black Caps captain Daniel Vettori. 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. 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, Coffs Harbour, Albury, Moe, Cairns, Gold Coast, and Alice Springs will likely host games during the soft launch period. 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. Cricket ACT has campaigned for an expansion team in both the men's and women's competition. In October 2024, Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister Andrew Barr announced as part of his campaign for the 2024 Australian Capital Territory election, that the ACT Government would provide funding for an expansion team in both the men's and women's competitions in partnership with Cricket ACT, if the territory was granted a team. The proposed team would be based at Manuka Oval in Canberra, where the Australian national team have hosted international fixtures. In July 2025, Cricket Australia (CA) CEO Todd Greenburg floated the idea of expanding the competition to New Zealand, following a Boston Consulting Group (BCG) report on improving and innovating the league. ESPN reported in December 2025 that "New Zealand, which boasts teams in many Australian sports leagues, is an obvious first foray abroad [for the BBL]. Its proximity to the east coast of Australia makes it easier from a logistical sense while being attractive to broadcasters. With New Zealand being two hours ahead of Sydney and Melbourne, and five in front of Perth, having triple headers on game days could create a television bonanza." The CA board was reported to also be considering an expansion into Singapore. 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. 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. 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. This has not yet occurred, but in September 2018, it was reported that Cricket Australia had struck a deal with the Australian Cricketers' Association to play BBL matches on Christmas Day. ==Tournament format==

of Brisbane Heat batting against Melbourne Stars at The Gabba 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. 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. Each team played eight group stage matches, four at home and four away, before the top four ranked teams progressed to the semi-finals. 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. 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. 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. 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.: • Eliminator – Fourth v Fifth • Qualifier – First v Second • Knock-Out – Third v Winner of the Eliminator • Challenger – Loser of the Qualifier v Winner of the Knock-Out • Final – Winner of the Qualifier v Winner of the Challenger The BBL reverted to the top four reaching the playoff stage from the 2023–24 season, but retained the double chance for the top two teams: • Qualifier – First v Second • Knockout – Third v Fourth • Challenger – Loser of the Qualifier v Winner of the Knock-Out • Final – Winner of the Qualifier v Winner of the Challenger Champions League T20 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. ==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. A single team must have a squad of 18 players, with more allowed to be signed to the team. This squad including a minimum of two rookie contracts. Teams must also sign at least two international players, picked through a draft. Each team can also sign replacement players, in the instance that players from their original 18-player squad are unavailable. Though there is no limit on Australian replacement players, there is a maximum of two overseas replacement players. Starting, from the 2023–24 season onwards, teams are allowed to sign up to two marquee supplementary players who would not count as part of their regular 18-player squad. These players must be signed to the Australia national cricket team. Additionally, teams are allowed to pre-sign one international player prior to the draft. == Rivalries ==

Throughout the history of the tournament rivalries have been formed by competition between teams and by teams being in the same city. 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. 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. Perth Scorchers – Sydney Sixers The Scorchers/Sixers rivalry has developed over the competition's 15 seasons due to their unparalleled success. The Scorchers have won the title six 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 six occasions. The Scorchers have won four of those encounters and the Sixers two. ==Seasons and results==

The most successful team is the Perth Scorchers, having won six titles, double that of any other team. Every team except the Melbourne Stars have won the title at least once. Team summary by season Champions Wooden Spoons The wooden spoon in Big Bash League is a colloquial term for the team that finishes the season at the bottom of the table. The Hobart Hurricanes are the only team to never win the wooden spoon. ==Salary cap==

The salary cap was initially $1 million, and increased to $1.05 million for the third season. In February 2015, the salary cap increased to $1.3 million for the fifth season, In 2023–24 the cap was at $3 million AUD, with the ability to also have 2 players paid outside the cap. ==Prize money==

Cricket Australia increased the prize money for the BBL to a total of for the four finalists from 2015–16 season, after the Champions League Twenty20 tournament was discontinued with effect from 2015. , prize money is split between the teams as follows: • $20,000 – To the team that finishes fifth in the season • $80,000 – To each losing semi-finalist • $260,000 – To the Runner-up of the season • $450,000 – To the Champion of the season 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. ==Audience==

vs Hobart Hurricanes at the MCG in 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. Post-Christmas matches have historically been the highest attended period for the League. 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. 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. 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. ;Key • Bold denotes the team which had the highest average attendance for that season • Italics denotes that the season is still in progress, and that numbers are not final • denotes seasons which were impacted by COVID-19 Television audiences 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. 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. 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. 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. The opening Sydney Derby match of the season attracted a peak audience of 1.53 million. 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. 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. 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. ==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. Perth 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. From 2017–18 to 2022–23, the Melbourne Renegades played two matches per season at Kardinia Park in Geelong, Victoria and the Hobart Hurricanes play multiple games at UTAS Stadium in Launceston, Tasmania. The Melbourne Stars would play at least one home match at a secondary venue, often the Citi Power Centre, Melbourne or Manuka Oval in Canberra, ACT, or People First Stadium in the Gold Coast. The Sydney Sixers played two games at Coffs Harbour International Stadium in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales each season, while the Sydney Thunder played two home matches at Manuka Oval, Canberra. Due to a shorter tournament format being introduced for the 2023–24 season and beyond, The Melbourne Stars, Melbourne Renegades, Sydney Sixers, and Sydney Thunder each reduced playing two home games at secondary venues to one match. The Melbourne Stars play one home match at either Lavington Sports Ground in Albury, New South Wales, or Manuka Oval in Canberra, ACT. The Melbourne Renegades play one home match at Kardinia Park in Geelong, Victoria. The Sydney Sixers play one of their home matches at Coffs Harbour International Stadium in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, while cross town rivals Sydney Thunder play one match at Manuka Oval in Canberra, ACT. The main reason behind this is because they play an extra match in their home city each year when they play an "away game" against their cross town rivals. This allows fairness across the competition meaning each team plays an equal amount of games in their home city each year, while allowing the game to progress and be reached in other areas. ==Records and statistics==

has scored the most career runs in the Big Bash League. Here is a list of Big Bash League records. All records are based on statistics at espncricinfo.com. Chris Lynn, who currently plays for the Adelaide Strikers, holds the record of scoring most runs in the league. Sean Abbott, who currently plays for the Sydney Sixers, has taken the most wickets of any bowler. ==See also==