Hobart Hurricanes after failing twice in the Big Bash League’s (BBL) final of the 2013–14 and 2017–18 seasons, found a strategy to succeed in their third attempt as they chased down a target of 183 runs in 14.1 overs against David Warner’s led Sydney Thunder. Thanks to the young Aussie opener Mitchell Owen, who unleashed his beast mode to propel his team to a 7-wicket victory in the BBL 2024-25 final at the Bellerive Oval, Hobart on January 27 (Monday).
Owen’s uncompromised aggressive approach empowered him to accumulate 108 runs from just 42 balls (including 6 fours and 11 sixes) at a strike rate of 257.14. Interestingly, his 39-ball-hundred is the joint-fastest ton in the BBL’s history leveling the 11-year-old record of Craig Simmons.
Also, this was Warner’s first stint as the Thunder’s captain after his leadership ban was waived. Unfortunately, the former Aussie cricketer slipped one step short of leading his team to the second championship title.
As the 14th edition of the BBL wraps up on an interesting note, it would be intriguing to explore the award winners, prize money, and several noteworthy stats from the tournament.
A Short Recap of BBL 2024-25 Highlights
Before delving deeper into the discussion, let’s have a short glimpse of the BBL 2024-25:
- Edition: 14th Season
- Overall Matches Played: 44
- Total Games in League Stages: 40
- Total Games in Knockouts: 4
- Tournament’s Duration: 44 Days
- Format: T20 (20-Over Format)
- Number of Teams Participated: 8 Teams
-
- Hobart Hurricanes
- Sydney Thunder
- Sydney Sixers
- Perth Scorchers
- Melbourne Renegades
- Adelaide Strikers
- Melbourne Stars
- Brisbane Heat
- Hosting Venues:
- Perth
- Sydney
- Canberra
- Melbourne
- Geelong
- Adelaide
- Hobart
- Brisbane
- Coffs Harbour
- Season Opener Venue: Perth Stadium
- Final Match Venue: Bellerive Oval, Hobart
- Organizer: Cricket Australia
- Qualifier 1 Round: Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Sixers
- Knockout Round: Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars
- Challenger Round: Sydney Thunder vs Sydney Sixers
- Final Match: Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Thunder
- Champions: Hobart Hurricanes
BBL 14 Award Winners and Prize Money
The overall prize pool for BBL 2024-25 has been increased to 1 million Australian Dollars (AUD), which is INR 5.5 crore approximately according to the Indian Rupee. The complete list of award winners and the prize money for the 14th season are illustrated below in a tabular form:
| Winner | Player | Team | Prize Money (In AUD) | Prize Money (In INR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | - | Hobart Hurricanes | AUD 500,000 | INR 2.75 crore |
| Runner-Up | - | Sydney Thunder | AUD 250,000 | INR 1.37 crore |
| Semi-Finalists (3rd Positioned Team) | - | Sydney Sixers | AUD 100,000 | INR 55 lakh |
| 4th Positioned Team | - | Melbourne Stars | AUD 100,000 | INR 55 lakh |
| 5th Positioned Team | - | Perth Scorchers | AUD 30,000 | INR 16.5 lakh |
| Player of the Match | Mitchell Owen | Hobart Hurricanes | - | - |
| Player of the Tournament | Will be Announced Soon During Cricket Australia Awards | - | AUD 10,000 | INR 5.5 lakh |
| Golden Bat Award | Mitchell Owen | Hobart Hurricanes | - | - |
| Golden Arm Award | Jason Behrendorff | Perth Scorchers | - | - |
| Batsman of the Tournament | Mitchell Owen | Hobart Hurricanes | AUD 5,000 | INR 2.75 lakh |
| Bowler of the Tournament | Jason Behrendorff | Perth Scorchers | AUD 5,000 | INR 2.75 lakh |
Top Stats and Records from Big Bash League 14
| Stats | Player / Team | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Highest Run Scoring Batter | Mitchell Owen (Hobart Hurricanes) | 452 Runs out of 11 Innings |
| Highest Wicket Taking Bowler | Jason Behrendorff (Perth Scorchers) | 17 Wickets Taken out of 10 Matches Played |
| Batter with Most Hundreds | Mitchell Owen (Hobart Hurricanes) | 2 Tons |
| Batter with Most Fifties | David Warner (Sydney Thunder) | 3 Fifties |
| Highest Individual Score by any Batter in a season | Steven Smith (Sydney Sixers) | 121 Runs Against Brisbane Heat |
| Impressive Bowling Figures in an Innings | Nathan McAndrew (Sydney Thunders) | 5-16 in 4 overs Against Melbourne Stars |
| Most 6s by any batter | Mitchell Owen (Hobart Hurricanes) | 36 Sixes |
| Most 4s by any batter | David Warner (Sydney Thunder) | 44 Fours |
| Highest Total by a team in BBL 14 | Adelaide Strikers | 251-5 in 20 overs vs Brisbane Heat in 31st Match of BBL 14 |
| Lowest total by a team in BBL 14 | Hobart Hurricanes | 74 (all-out) vs Melbourne Renegades in 5th Match of BBL 14 |
| Maximum Dismissals by any Wicketkeeper in BBL 14 | Josh Philippe (Sydney Sixers) | 13 Dismissals in 11 Matches |
| Most Catches by any fielder in BBL 14 | Glenn Maxwell (Melbourne Stars) | 14 Catches in 9 Matches |
| Top Batting Partnership in BBL 14 | Marcus Stoinis and Dan Lawrence (Melbourne Stars) | 132 Runs Partnership vs Brisbane Heat |
BBL 2024-25 Team of the Tournament
The following is the list of players from various teams selected by the league’s eight head coaches based on their exceptional performance throughout the season with Brisbane Heat is the only franchise that is left out:
| S.No | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | David Warner (Captain) | Sydney Thunder |
| 2. | Mitchell Owen | Hobart Hurricanes |
| 3. | Cooper Connolly | Perth Scorchers |
| 4. | Marcus Stoinis | Melbourne Stars |
| 5. | Sam Billings | Sydney Thunder |
| 6. | Glenn Maxwell | Melbourne Stars |
| 7. | Tim David | Hobart Hurricanes |
| 8. | Ben Dwarshuis | Sydney Sixers |
| 9. | Tom Rogers | Melbourne Renegades |
| 10. | Jason Behrendorff | Perth Scorchers |
| 11. | Lloyd Pope | Adelaide Strikers |
| 12. | Jamie Overton | Adelaide Strikers |
