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Perth Scorchers beat arch-rivals Sydney Sixers in the final to lift record-extending sixth BBL title. (PHOTO: X/BBL)
Perth Scorchers continued their dominance and further cemented their legacy by defeating arch-rivals Sydney Sixers in the 2025-26 Big Bash League (BBL) final, claiming a record-extending sixth BBL title in front of their home crowd at Perth’s Optus Stadium on Sunday.
Murphy’s Law played out for the Sixers, for whom nothing went their way in the final. After losing the toss, Moises Henriques’ side was invited to bat first by Scorchers captain Mitchell Marsh. The Sixers managed an underwhelming 132 in their 20 overs. Scorchers’ Jhye Richardson and David Payne were the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets each to bundle out the Sixers for an under-par total in Perth.
Scorchers’ openers Marsh and Finn Allen stitched together 80 runs for the first wicket, and the Men in Orange had little trouble chasing down the total and won the game by six wickets with 15 balls to spare to lift the trophy.
The Scorchers were clearly the best side in BBL 2025-26, having finished at the top of the points table with 14 points from seven wins in ten league matches. They also completed a triple over the Sixers, beating them in their opening game, then in the Qualifier, before finally thwarting them in the finals to claim the title.
Perth Scorchers’ players elated after the wicket of Sydney Sixers’ opener Steve Smith. (PHOTO: Cricket Australia)
Veteran Australian batter David Warner (433 runs in 8 matches), who played for Sydney Thunder, was the tournament’s highest run-scorer, while Melbourne Stars pacer Haris Rauf (20 wickets in 11 matches) finished with the most wickets.
History and Rivalry
Perth Scorchers and Sydney Sixers are two of the most successful franchises in BBL history. Out of 15 seasons, there have been only three finals in which neither the Sixers nor the Scorchers featured.
Ahead of the 2025-26 final, the Scorchers and Sixers had met six times in the decider, with the Perth-based franchise winning four summit clashes and the Sixers coming out on top twice. After Sunday’s win, four of the Scorchers’ six BBL titles have now come against the Sixers in the final. For the Sixers, two of their three titles have also come against their arch-rivals, the Scorchers.
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