This research and data was paid for by Green.com.au. If you use it, please cite and link to our client and Primara Research. Thank you.
The 2026 Big Bash season has broken the tournament's 16-year record for high scores, with 13 totals now in the all-time top 100 (surpassing 2022 and 2025's 12 each) averaging a record 214.8 runs, nearly 11 runs per over. The season produced the highest-scoring match in BBL history when Brisbane Heat (258) narrowly beat Perth Scorchers (257) in a 515-run thriller. With 9 games remaining, the season could reach 16 top-100 scores, and four 2026 games already sit in the top 10 all-time, including three of the top five. Record attendance figures confirm fans are responding to the explosive batting era.
New research reveals the 2026 Big Bash season has officially broken the record for the most 'big scores' in the tournament's 16-year history, with 13 scores now sitting in the top 100 of all time, surpassing both 2025 and 2022 which held the previous record with 12 scores each.
Remarkably, these 13 scores boast the highest average of any year's top-100 contributions at 214.8 runs, nearly 11 runs per over across a full 20-over innings. This signals not just more big scores, but significantly higher scores across the board. Four games from the 2026 season now feature in the top 10 all-time scores, including three of the top five, a concentration of elite performances unmatched in any previous campaign.
With 9 games remaining, the record is set to be obliterated. If the current trajectory continues, the season could produce at least 3 additional top-100 scores, potentially pushing the final tally to around 16 scores of at least 195 runs (9.75 runs per over), decisively surpassing the previous benchmark season in 2022.
- 13 Top-100 all-time scores from 2026 season (record, surpassing 2022 and 2025's 12)
- 214.8 runs Average of 2026's top-100 contributions
- 16 Projected final tally of top-100 scores by season's end
- 515 runs Combined total in highest-scoring BBL match ever (Heat 258 vs Scorchers 257)
- 4 games From 2026 season in all-time top 10 (including 3 of top 5)
- 57 of top 100 Scores occurred in last 5 seasons (showing accelerating trend)
The explosive season has already delivered the highest-scoring match in Big Bash history, when Brisbane Heat and Perth Scorchers combined for a staggering 515 runs. The Heat's 258 and Scorchers' 257 now sit as the second and third-highest team totals ever recorded, trailing only Melbourne Stars' legendary 273/2 from 2012. Heat secured victory with just one ball remaining in a match that redefined scoring expectations.
The correlation between entertainment and attendance is undeniable. The tournament recently set record attendance numbers, as fans flock to witness cricket's new era of explosive batting. The upward trend is unmistakable, 57 of the top 100 scores have occurred in the last five seasons, including the current campaign which is only halfway complete.
The analysis suggests the competition's evolution toward aggressive batting, improved power-hitting techniques, and potentially more batting-friendly conditions are combining to push scoring boundaries beyond previous limits, creating a virtuous cycle of entertainment and engagement that is transforming the Big Bash into cricket's premier showcase for explosive batting.
The scoring explosion is transforming cricket from a tactical battle into pure entertainment spectacle, which cuts both ways for Australian fans. Record attendance shows audiences are embracing the big-hitting era, making BBL games more accessible and exciting for casual viewers and families. However, purists may lament the loss of bowling craft and tactical nuance as the format increasingly rewards power over strategy. For young cricketers, the emphasis on aggressive batting and power-hitting is reshaping development pathways and skill priorities across the sport, potentially at the expense of traditional technique.
