The Big Bash League (BBL) has seen its share of unbelievable batting collapses, but none was so surprising as the Sydney Thunder’s 15 runs all out in front of the Adelaide Strikers, which is also the lowest score ever in BBL history.
The Sydney Thunder, who were on their way to chasing 140 runs, got out for a mere 5.5 overs without any batsman even scoring 10 runs. It still stands out as one of the most stunning bowling performances and T20 cricket’s greatest batting failures.
Thus, we will discuss the top 10 lowest team totals in BBL history, the bowlers responsible for and how these awe-evoking moments came about in this article.
Lowest Totals in BBL history
| Team | Score | Overs | RR | Opposition | Ground | Match Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunder | 15 | 5.5 | 2.57 | v Strikers | Sydney | 16 Dec 2022 |
| Renegades | 57 | 12.4 | 4.50 | v Stars | Melbourne (Docklands) | 3 Jan 2015 |
| Renegades | 60 | 10.4 | 5.62 | v Sixers | Hobart | 13 Dec 2020 |
| Stars | 61 | 11.1 | 5.46 | v Sixers | Sydney | 5 Dec 2021 |
| Thunder | 62 | 14.4 | 4.22 | v Sixers | Sydney | 21 Jan 2023 |
| Strikers | 68 | 14.2 | 4.74 | v Stars | Melbourne | 15 Jan 2021 |
| Scorchers | 69 | 15.2 | 4.50 | v Stars | W.A.C.A | 12 Dec 2012 |
| Heat | 73 | 16.4 | 4.38 | v Sixers | Sydney | 18 Jan 2018 |
| Sixers | 74 | 13.4 | 5.41 | v Stars | Melbourne | 10 Feb 2019 |
| Hurricanes | 74 | 12.4 | 5.84 | v Renegades | Geelong | 19 Dec 2024 |
10. Hobart Hurricanes – 74 vs Melbourne Renegades
The Renegades’ Tom Rogers and Fergus O’Neill both claimed three victims apiece. They were brilliant with the new ball, the Hurricanes batsmen had no answers and were only allowed to score 74 runs.
The skipper of the Hurricanes, Nathan Ellis, was the only batter who displayed some determination. The rest of the team got out more or less without making a contribution. In fact, they lost four more front-door wickets later on in the innings.
9. Sydney Sixers – 74 vs Melbourne Stars
Another unwanted record was set by Sydney Sixers when in 2019 they scored their lowest total ever in the Big Bash League against the Melbourne Stars.
The bowlers from the Stars outshone the Sixers, especially the Nepalese leg spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who grabbed 3 wickets while the Sixers were losing 94 runs.
8. Brisbane Heat – 73 vs Sydney Sixers
A strong showing from Sean Abbott on 4/11 stunned the batters of Brisbane Heat. They were restricted to a very meager total of only 73 runs in 2018 at the SCG.
The Sydney Sixers chased down the target in less than 10 overs and celebrated a 6-wicket victory.
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7. Perth Scorchers – 69 vs Melbourne Stars
Certainly, nobody can dismiss the brilliance of Lasith Malinga, who claimed 6 wickets for merely 7 runs during the 2011/12 Big Bash League season. The Perth Scorchers had to succumb to his talent. The Sri Lankan pacer dismantled their resistance with a series of unplayable yorkers
Not more than two batters of the Scorchers scored more than 10 runs, and the whole batting unit got collapsed by Malinga’s murderous precision.
6. Adelaide Strikers – 68 vs Melbourne Stars
The Strikers made only 68 runs against the Stars in the 2020/21 Big Bash League, which has become the lowest score so far in the league’s history.
The collapse of the poor Strikers batting was primarily due to the Adam Zampa’s great spinning dancing who took 5 wickets and left the hitters totally distraught.
5. Sydney Thunder – 62 vs Sydney Sixers
The Thunder from Sydney saw its complete batting side giving away just 62 runs before the Sixers. This match was one of those where somehow through luck or an awful mistake, the fifth-lowest total in BBL history was recorded.
In addition, pacers Sean Abbott and Ben Dwarshuis with the superb Steve O’Keefe were instrumental in ensuring their competitors scored low thereby earning their team a win.
4. Melbourne Stars – 61 vs Sydney Sixers
The Melbourne Stars managed to set a new low for themselves in Big Bash League history by their incredibly poor batting showing against Sydney Sixers in the 2021/22 season opener.
Famed for his spin bowling, the veteran Steve O’Keefe from Australia claimed 4 scalps while Sean Abbott picked up 3 more scalps. Together they mounted a great bowling display that crumbled the Stars batting lineup in Sydney.
3. Melbourne Renegades – 60 vs Sydney Sixers
Ben Dwarshuis was instrumental in the bowling attack of the Sydney Sixers. He absolutely wrecked the batting order of the opponents and pushed the Melbourne team new low on to the Big Bash League total leaderboard.
Four batters of the Melbourne Renegades team who were not able to score were the ones who went back to the pavilion with a duck written against their names.
2. Melbourne Renegades – 57 vs Melbourne Stars
Renegades had a miserable day during the Melbourne Derby. They were dismissed for a mere 57 runs by their arch-rivals, the Melbourne Stars, in BBL 2015.
Every bowler from Stars got at least one wicket. Only one batter from Renegades was alone to go into two digits which reflected a complete batting collapse.
1. Sydney Thunder – 15 vs Adelaide Strikers
Young fast bowling sensation Henry Thornton was the master of the Thunder batters. His impressive five-wicket haul along with Wes Agar’s four wickets made one of the largest and most dramatic collapses in T20 cricket.
The Thunder team was bowled out for a mere 15 runs while trying to chase the target of 140 against the Strikers in the 2022/23 season of BBL.
