Cricket
Most successful BBL Team: Scorchers, Sixers and Title Winners Ranked
Highlights - To determine the most successful BBL team, SportsBoom has looked at the history of the Australian T20 league champions and how experts rate each of the franchises. With 20-over cricket steadily saturating the globe, Australia’s Big Bash League has placed itself as one of the most captivating. For 14 seasons, as of 2025, the BBL has used its fan-based focus, polished presentation, and fierce rivalries to light up the pitch.
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Perth Scorchers players/Getty Images
The nature of the T20 league is also emphasised through its wide range of winners, with clutch efforts and consistency both key.
SportsBoom has identified the BBL’s most successful franchises based on titles won and an analysis of experts’ consensus.
The ‘SB Score’ and ‘Industry Insights’ combine for the final ‘SB Market Index’, to see which BBL franchise is the best in history.
The 'SB Market Index' Calculation and Result
| Rank | Team | SB Score (Value) | SB Score (Weighted 20%) | Industry Insights (Value) | Industry Insights (Weighted 80%) | SB Market Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perth Scorchers | 1.00 | 0.200 | 5 | 4.0 | 4.200 |
| 2 | Sydney Sixers | 0.60 | 0.120 | 4 | 3.2 | 3.320 |
| 3 | Brisbane Heat | 0.40 | 0.080 | 2 | 1.6 | 1.680 |
| 4 | Melbourne Renegades | 0.20 | 0.040 | 2 | 1.6 | 1.640 |
| T5 | Hobart Hurricanes | 0.20 | 0.040 | 1 | 0.8 | 0.840 |
| T5 | Adelaide Strikers | 0.20 | 0.040 | 1 | 0.8 | 0.840 |
| T5 | Sydney Thunder | 0.20 | 0.040 | 1 | 0.8 | 0.840 |
| 8 | Melbourne Stars | 0.00 | 0.000 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.000 |
Part 1 - The Championship Tally: The ‘SB Score’
Nathan Ellis /Getty Images
For this analysis, the ‘SB Score’ directly reflects the ultimate measure of BBL success: the number of trophies won by each franchise
BBL Titles Won by Team
| Team | Total Titles | Winning Season(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Perth Scorchers | 5 | 2013–14, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2021–22, 2022–23 |
| Sydney Sixers | 3 | 2011–12, 2019–20, 2020–21 |
| Brisbane Heat | 2 | 2012–13, 2023–24 |
| Hobart Hurricanes | 1 | 2024–25 |
| Melbourne Renegades | 1 | 2018–19 |
| Adelaide Strikers | 1 | 2017–18 |
| Sydney Thunder | 1 | 2015–16 |
| Melbourne Stars | 0 | – |
‘SB Score’ Methodology Explained
The ‘SB Score’ has been calculated by normalising each team’s total BBL titles against the maximum in this group (Perth Scorchers’ 5 titles). This score directly reflects their success in winning the competition.
The ‘SB Score’ Result
| Rank | Team | SB Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perth Scorchers | 1.00 |
| 2 | Sydney Sixers | 0.60 |
| 3 | Brisbane Heat | 0.40 |
| T4 | Hobart Hurricanes | 0.20 |
| T4 | Melbourne Renegades | 0.20 |
| T4 | Adelaide Strikers | 0.20 |
| T4 | Sydney Thunder | 0.20 |
| 8 | Melbourne Stars | 0.00 |
Interpreting This ‘SB Score’
Perth Scorchers (SB Score: 1.00) lead this statistical model emphatically, reflecting their unparalleled success with five BBL titles. Sydney Sixers (SB Score: 0.60) are the clear second, with three championships to their name.
Part 2 - The Expert and Media View: ‘Industry Insights’ on BBL Success
Beyond the raw title count, SportsBoom has looked at the perception of these BBL franchises through the lens of experts and prominent cricket media, when discussing overall success and dominance in the league
‘Industry Insights’ Methodology Explained
This score aggregates views from surveyed expert opinions and media analysis, reflecting which team is more frequently lauded as being among the ‘most successful BBL teams’ or is ranked higher in historical comparisons.
| League | BBL Team Ranking(Sportskeeda) | BBL Team Profiles(ABC.com.au) | BBL’s Best Teams(Hituponviews) | Big Bash League Teams(Ladbrokes) | Wikipedia League Page | Total Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perth Scorchers | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Sydney Sixers | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Brisbane Heat | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Melbourne Renegades | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Hobart Hurricanes | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Adelaide Strikers | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sydney Thunder | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Melbourne Stars | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Industry Insights Scorecard
| Team | ‘Industry Insights’ |
|---|---|
| Perth Scorchers | 5 |
| Sydney Sixers | 4 |
| Brisbane Heat | 2 |
| Melbourne Renegades | 2 |
| Hobart Hurricanes | 1 |
| Adelaide Strikers | 1 |
| Sydney Thunder | 1 |
| Melbourne Stars | 0 |
Interpreting the ‘Industry Insights’
In terms of ‘Industry Insights’, Perth Scorchers takes the top spot (5 points), indicating equally strong and widespread recognition from surveyed sources for their sustained BBL success. Sydney Scorchers is a close second (4 points).
Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Renegades (2 points each) also received some expert backing in terms of BBL team success analysis, with Adelaide Strikers, Sydney Thunder and Hobart Hurricanes recognised with just 1 point apiece.
Part 3 - The Combined Perspective: The ‘SB Market Index’
Moises Henriques/Getty Images
Fusing the franchises’ BBL title achievements with broader expert/media perception gives the final 'SB Market Index'.
'SB Market Index' Methodology Explained
This analysis of Big Bash League most titles and expert opinion has been calculated with the following weights:
- ‘Industry Insights' score (80% weightage)
- 'SB Score' (20% weightage)
SportsBoom’s multi-layered analysis, culminating in the 'SB Market Index' which heavily weights 'Industry Insights' (80%), positions the Perth Scorchers (SB Market Index: 4.200) as the most successful team in BBL history.
This top ranking is driven by a leading 'SB Score' (most titles) and a joint-highest 'Industry Insights' score, making a clear case for their dominance. The Sydney Sixers are a very close second, excelling in both categories.
Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Renegades also showed strong industry recognition despite fewer BBL titles, highlighting a competitive nature, ahead of a comparative draw for Hobart Hurricanes, Adelaide Strikers, and Sydney Thunder.
The Melbourne Stars, despite consistent Big Bash League playoff appearances in their history (not captured in this model, which focuses on titles), also ranked at the bottom due to having no championships, resulting in no score.
BBL Team Success Analysis: A Look at the Franchises and Their Title Hauls
Perth Scorchers: with a strong championship lineage, having made the finals eight times in 14 editions, the franchise from Western Australia has only missed out on the knockout round in three seasons. Perth Scorchers’ BBL titles tally is the highest of the eight current franchises, thanks to an impressive array of former players including Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Johnson, Herschelle Gibbs and Jason Roy.
- Sydney Sixers: one of two franchises based in the Emerald City, Sydney Sixers has a similar track record to Perth Scorchers, which has sparked their intense rivalry. With the likes of Steve Smith and later Moises Henqirues playing leading roles, Sydney Sixers’ BBL record includes advancing from the group stage 11 times in 14 editions. They also won the Champions League Twenty20 in 2012.
- Brisbane Heat: the Queensland franchise is an interesting case, having only advanced from the group stage in five campaigns but also winning the BBL title twice. Brisbane Heat’s up-and-down record could be attributed to constant captaincy changes and some memorable collapses, including losing 10 wickets for just 36 runs against Melbourne Renegades. However, Heat is the third-most successful BBL franchise in terms of titles.
- Hobart Hurricanes: the team has a 50-50 record when it comes to reaching the knockout stage of the Australian domestic league. Years of persistence finally paid off last season, with Mitchell Owen’s record-equalling 39-ball century finally securing the elusive trophy for the Tasmianian franchise, with many applauding their young squad for its determination and grit.
- Melbourne Renegades: success has been hard to come by for Renegades, one of two Melbourne-based franchises. Having won the BBL trophy once, the team has struggled to maintain consistency, mostly hovering around the mid-table positions. However,Melbourne Renegades’ line-up includes the likes of Jake Fraser-McGurk and Nathan Lyon, who could inspire the team to winning ways.
- Adelaide Strikers: another team with a 50% rate when it comes to advancing from the group stage, the South Australia franchise has only tasted gold once. Despite herculean efforts in seasons since, including Peter Siddle’s record-setting 30 wickets in 2021-2022, Adelaide Strikers has faced an uphill battle in a quest to claim their second BBL title
- Sydney Thunder: the second Sydney-based franchise, Thunder struggled for four straight BBL seasons before a miraculous campaign saw them claim a lone title. The team has not looked back, reaching the knockout phase five times since, including ending the 2024-2025 season as the runners-up and looking more and more certain to win another trophy.
- Melbourne Stars: the second Melbourne-based franchise has the unfortunate distinction as the only BBL franchise to never clinch the title, despite reaching the knockouts a staggering nine times in 14 editions. This unenviable record is often contrasted against a lack of team cohesion, with many believing that Melbourne Stars focused too heavily on bringing in big names instead of establishing the team from the roots up.
Disclaimer: This analysis uses BBL title counts and a specific weighted SB Score model, combined with surveyed 'Industry Insights'. Different methodologies, weightings, or sources could yield different conclusions. The Hobart Hurricanes 2024-25 title is treated as a single win for this model. This is for illustrative and discussion purposes.
Bruce Douglas has more than 12 years of experience in local news media. He has worked at all levels of print and online publication, from crime and politics to photography, newspaper layout, proofreading, mentoring, sub-editing, and leading a newsroom. He played numerous sports at the school level and enjoys keeping up to date.