The Big Bash League is a global baseball league that occurs in Australia. This tournament takes place in the months of December and January. The BBL is the next-ranking tournament after the IPL in terms of quality. The tournament has been acclaimed for its quality matches. However, unlike the IPL, BBL was unable to gain the participation of top international players because of their unavailability. The same goes for the top-tier Australian players who could not enter this league owing to the national team schedule. Nevertheless, the league has still many big names of the T20 format among players and they keep on amusing the fans with their great innings.
Best Batting Average in the BBL History
| Player | Mat | Inns | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 100 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J Overton (AS) | 18 | 15 | 276 | 45* | 69.00 | 150.81 | 0 | 0 |
| JO Holder (SS) | 3 | 3 | 62 | 33* | 62.00 | 182.35 | 0 | 0 |
| IA Cockbain (AS) | 6 | 6 | 239 | 71* | 59.75 | 141.42 | 0 | 2 |
| SPD Smith (SS) | 34 | 33 | 1199 | 125* | 46.11 | 147.11 | 3 | 8 |
| AU Rashid (AS) | 9 | 4 | 43 | 25 | 43.00 | 179.16 | 0 | 0 |
| BJ Hodge (AS/MR/MS) | 50 | 45 | 1412 | 88 | 42.78 | 134.34 | 0 | 11 |
| SE Marsh (MR/PS) | 79 | 79 | 2810 | 99* | 40.72 | 129.25 | 0 | 27 |
| DA Payne (AS/PS) | 16 | 4 | 40 | 14* | 40.00 | 190.47 | 0 | 0 |
| DA Warner (SS/ST) | 23 | 23 | 706 | 102* | 39.22 | 138.43 | 1 | 4 |
| C Connolly (PS) | 25 | 22 | 577 | 66 | 38.46 | 136.72 | 0 | 2 |
1. Steve Smith (46.11)
Steve Smith holds the highest batting average record in BBL. The previous captain of Australia has made 1,199 runs in 34 games in the premier T20 tournament. Most likely, Smith’s teammates and fans would have anticipated his inclusion in any batting record list when he first stepped into the limelight as a leg-spin bowler. Besides the notorious ball-tampering incident in 2018, Smith’s career has been pretty much flawless despite his quirky batting style.
In the Big Bash League, Smith has played a few international matches owing to his commitments and is considered one of the best batters in the country. His most successful season was 2022/23 when he amassed 346 runs with two centuries among them. He scored at an average of 86.50 and a rate of 174.74. The Sydney Sixers were so impressed with his performance that they invited him to be a part of the Australian T20I team.
2. Brad Hodge (42.78)
Brad Hodge is the leading player in terms of batting average in the BBL. In his career, he has collected 1,412 runs with an impressive average of 42.78. He is the ex-Australian cricketer who has been in the ring playing 50 matches for the triad teams of Melbourne Renegades, Melbourne Stars, and Adelaide Strikers. Hodge has been a reliable performer for all his teams in the seven seasons he has played. The average of 42.78 is the highest for an Australian batter. Hodge’s batting average was below 35 only in one year, that was BBL 2014/15.
Nevertheless, the former Australian cricketer despite his consistent run-scoring ability at the top of the order, has always been short of winning the BBL. Hodge’s most splendid batting was in 2012/13 while he was with the MI. He totaled 342 runs in the season with an average of 48.85 and a strike rate of 144.91.
3. Shaun Marsh (40.72)
Shaun Marsh is the brother who has a higher average than Mitchell. The older of the two Marsh brothers comes in 3rd in terms of best BBL batting average. Shaun has, so far, played 79 games, scored 2,810 runs, and has an average of 40.72. Shaun was the first for the T20 format and later even for the longer formats to be the first among the Australians to open his career with the worldwide leagues.
He started the BBL in the same way he did in the IPL where he was the top run scorer in the first season. In the BBL, he was the top run scorer in the second season. The Big Bash League 2012/13 made him shine the brightest. He scored 412 runs in nine matches with an average of 58.85 and at the same time had a strike rate of 128.75. However, a disappointing performance in the finals meant that Shaun and the Perth Scorchers ended up as the runner-up.
4. Mitchell Marsh (38.08)
Mitchell Marsh ranks fourth among the best batsmen by average in the BBL. The right-handed batsman has accrued 1,904 runs in the tournament with an average of 38.85. Over the last few years, Mitchell has been a remarkable batsman and is still the Allan Border Medal holder which is regarded as the highest individual award in Australian cricket.
Mitchell made his way to cricket’s biggest stage after his father, Geoff, and elder brother, Shaun had already made a name for the family. But, Mitchell has not only been a positive addition to international cricket but has also shone in the Big Bash League. His last season in BBL was the 2021/22 season and definitely, that was his best. Marsh made 347 runs in eight games with an average of 57.83 and a strike rate of 142.79.
Read Also:- Virat Kohli vs Punjab Kings Complete Stats & Records in IPL 2026
5. Laurie Evans (37.75)
Laurie Evans holds the 5th position among the best batsman by average in BBL. The English player has a batting average of 37.75 which is the highest for a foreign player in the tournament. Evans has been a part of both Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Renegades. However, it is with the five-time champions, where the right-hand batsman had the most success.
In the 2023/24 season, Evans scored 292 runs in 10 matches with an impressive average of 58.40. Nonetheless, it was not only his consistency but also his strike rate which made him the topic of discussion. The Englishman managed to score at a rate of 189.61 during the entire season. He was transferred to Renegades before the 2024/25 season. The transfer turned out to be detrimental for all the three parties involved.
