Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Sixers, Final, Big Bash League 2025-26 - Commentary

Runs on the board from Finn Allen, Mitchell Marsh and Ashton Turner, wickets shared by Cooper Connolly, Jhye Richardson and David Payne. And a standout all-round effort from Aaron Hardie; it sums up a dominant season for the Perth Scorchers. Allen and Marsh, the opening combination, both notched up centuries during the campaign, consistently setting the platform for success. With contributions of that calibre, the Perth Scorchers always looked destined to go all the way and they truly deserve to finish as champions. The Sydney Sixers had their moments and individual contributors stepping up, but Perth proved a step ahead every single time - beating them in the league stage, the Qualifier, and once again in the final. That repeated head-to-head success showcased the gulf between the two sides when it mattered most. There’s no debate about it that the Scorchers were simply a class apart in BBL|15. It’s been a pleasure bringing you live coverage of the season. We hope you’ve enjoyed it. This is Nikhil, signing off on behalf of Akshay and Praveen.

Ashton Turner lifts the BBL|15 trophy aloft, surrounded by his jubilant teammates as cameras capture the moment. Confetti rains down and fireworks light up the night sky, providing a spectacular backdrop to the celebrations. All smiles, the Perth Scorchers savour a richly deserved triumph, while the giant screen at Optus Stadium proudly proclaims: “Perth Scorchers - Champions.”

Ashton Turner | Perth Scorchers captain: This organisation, this team, and the support we receive from the wider cricketing community - it’s enormous. We’re fortunate that 11 of us get to walk out onto the field, but we know success like this is driven by a much bigger group. There are too many people to name, but to the players who missed out, the support staff, coaching group, management, the executive and board at WA Cricket, and of course the WA fans - this belongs to all of you. Yeah, it’s pretty surreal, to be honest. This has been a long time in the making. For the last 10 months, there’s been a huge amount of planning - time on the phone, emails, conversations - about how we could best prepare for this tournament. To then put those plans into action over the past week has been exhausting but incredibly exciting. To cap it all off with a trophy makes it immensely satisfying. I’ve said it plenty over the last 24 hours - it was no surprise that the Sixers were a massive challenge. We have enormous respect for them as a club and as a team. The values they stand for - continuity, competitiveness - are things we relate to strongly. So to Moises and Greg, congratulations on a great season. We know playing you is never easy, and this certainly won’t be the last battle between us. Tonight’s crowd speaks volumes about the health of cricket in WA, in Australia, and the Big Bash League as a whole. None of this happens without our sponsors. So thank you to everyone who's stood by us through the good times and the tough ones. We’re incredibly grateful for your support.

It’s now time for the Perth Scorchers to collect their medals. Mitchell Marsh is the first to step forward and receive his medal, with Finn Allen following close behind. One by one, the Scorchers players make their way onto the stage, soaking in a well-earned moment of celebration..

Moises Henriques | Sydney Sixers captain: Yes, it hurts. We had big plans. We really wanted to come over here and keep this crowd relatively quiet. Unfortunately, we weren’t good enough to do that tonight. It’s an amazing atmosphere to be a part of, and your boys did you proud tonight. So well done to Ashton and the boys on a terrific season and a terrific performance tonight. Yeah, as you mentioned, it’s an absolute privilege for me to lead this team. They (the players) make it so easy to captain. We’ve got so many good players - they lead themselves - and I’m just lucky enough to have the capital “C” next to my name. I also want to give a shout-out. We had four or five boys who didn’t play much this year, who in years gone by have played a lot. I think that speaks to the strength of our group - Silky, Kerry, Murph, Pez as well. There are a lot of boys who missed out who probably deserved to be playing, and they take it on the chin and give the boys the freedom we have to go out and do our stuff. So I just want to say thanks to the whole group - obviously the playing XI, but the entire squad. It’s an absolute honour to lead our team. I’d also like to thank our sponsors, and our coaching staff as well, who have toiled away and tried their absolute best. They got us close, but unfortunately we couldn’t get over the line tonight.

David Payne | Player of the Match: Yeah, it’s hard to describe any emotion right now, to be honest with you. I’m elated - elated for the Perth fans. They’re the ones who turned out tonight and made this the final that it was. And then to the boys - they’re just awesome again. So it’s not really sunk in, obviously, right now, but I’m sure it will over time. (playing in front of such a crowd) Yeah, it’s nervous, to be honest. It starts nervy, and then when you get a couple of good ones down there, it calms the nerves - and a couple of wickets help. At times like this, you always want to contribute, so it was nice that I was able to do that tonight.

Stats by Roshan Gede
Most title wins in franchise T20 leagues
6 - Perth Scorchers (BBL)
5 - Mumbai Indians (IPL)
5 - Chennai Super Kings (IPL)
5 - Trinbago Knight Riders (CPL)

BBL title wins for each team
6 - Perth Scorchers
3 - Sydney Sixers
2 - Brisbane Heat
1 - Sydney Thunder
1 - Adelaide Strikers
1 - Melbourne Renegades
1 - Hobart Hurricanes

Captains with most BBL final wins
3 - Ashton Turner
2 - Adam Voges
2 - Moises Henriques

Ashton Turner is the first to win five BBL finals as a player.
Moises Henriques has now lost five out of seven BBL finals as captain.

Most sixes in a BBL edition
38 - Finn Allen (Perth Scorchers, 2025/26)
36 - Mitchell Owen (Hobart Hurricanes, 2024/25)
30 - Alex Hales (Sydney Thunder, 2020/21)
29 - Ben McDermott (Hobart Hurricanes, 2021/22)
28 - Marcus Stoinis (Melbourne Stars, 2019/20)
28 - Liam Livingstone (Perth Scorchers, 2020/21)

Cooper Connolly: I’m feeling amazing. It’s nice to be out there. I would’ve loved to hit them (winning runs) myself this time, but it was great to see the boys get us over the line. It was a real team effort. We’ve bowled beautifully all season, and our batting has stood up when it mattered. There’s a lot more strength to come from this group. It’s definitely about the people around me. The support I’ve had has been massive. I’ve played a bit of international cricket, spent time down in Victoria as well, and Daniel Vettori, the Australian spin bowling coach,  just kept telling me to trust my craft, keep working, and things will come eventually. I really do love the fans here. I probably didn’t give them everything they wanted over the last few games, but they’ve been behind me no matter what. I’m always thankful for the Perth Scorchers fans.

Mahli Beardman: Absolutely incredible. Hasn’t properly set in yet. 55,000 people here. Loudest stadium I’ve ever been in. And yeah, to get it done with this group is absolutely incredible. It’s been an okay tournament, personally. I think it’s just been awesome watching us as a bowling group evolve through the tournament as well. I think there was a little bit of speculation early, obviously losing a lot of experience with Dorph and AJ. But then watching us grow as a unit has been nothing short of incredible. Still far from a superstar, but as I said, yeah, it’s been incredible. I’ve seen an amazing group. To have Richo (Richardson) come back in as well and have him as a mentor has been unbelievable. I just can’t wait for the next coming seasons and what’s ahead of us.

Mitchell Marsh: Probably relieved to be honest. It’s been a bloody great tournament. To win our last couple of games - first to set up the home final - really summed up what we’ve been about all season. Full credit to the Sydney Sixers; they’re an amazing franchise. We’ve had some great battles over the years, but this feeling right now is unbelievable. A sixth title for this club - it’s special. We are incredibly fortunate to have a group of players who’ve pretty much grown up together. That cohesion and connection is something we really pride ourselves on. Especially this year, we’ve won a lot of close games, and those moments often define a season. The group has been unbelievable. I’m so proud of them. I know every team says it when they win, but this genuinely is an incredible franchise. There’s a huge amount of trust in each other here.

19:40 Local Time, 11:40 GMT, 17:10 IST: The Perth Scorchers have once again etched their supremacy into Big Bash League history by clinching the BBL|15 title, reaffirming their status as the most consistent franchise the competition has ever seen. This triumph marks their sixth championship since the league’s inception - a remarkable feat that further widens the gap between them and the Sydney Sixers who are the second-most successful side with three titles. It was a dominant and all-round display from the Scorchers, who dictated proceedings from the very start. After winning the bat flip, their bowlers laid the perfect foundation, dismantling the Sixers’ batting lineup with relentless pressure. Jhye Richardson and David Payne led the charge with three wickets each, suffocating the Sixers and restricting them to a modest total of 132. Chasing the target, the Scorchers’ openers set the tone with intent and authority. Finn Allen capped off a brilliant season by overtaking David Warner’s 433 runs to finish as the tournament’s leading run-scorer, while Mitchell Marsh delivered a match-defining knock when it mattered most. What initially appeared to be a tricky surface in the first innings became batting-friendly due to rain in the second innings and Perth capitalised perfectly. From clinical bowling to aggressive batting and flawless execution under pressure, everything clicked for the Scorchers in the grand finale. It was a complete performance, with the batting truly the icing on the cake.