BBL 2020-21: Best combined XI of the tournament

After various T20 leagues around the world, the grand Australian Big Bash League (BBL) was also held for the 2020-21 season. The season started on 10th December 2020 and the final was contested on the 6th of February, 2021. A total of 61 matches were played. 

The teams, who reached the final are the ever-successful Perth Scorchers and the defending champions Sydney Sixers. It was a pretty exciting season and many new players made their mark. The organizers also introduced new rules like X-factor, allowing a 12th or 13th player to substitute a current player.

The Power Surge allowed only 2 fielders outside the ring for 2 overs, and Bash Boost allowing an extra point if a team wins convincingly. English batsman Alex Hales from Sydney Thunder is the highest run-getter while pacer Jhye Richardson from Perth Scorchers is the leading wicket-taker.

In this article, we tried to make a combined XI with the best performers throughout the league:

1) Alex Hales

The English opener returned to Thunder after a very successful BBL season in 2019-20. He was the second-highest run-getter last season and went on one step further this time, scoring most runs until the finals. It remains to be seen if Josh Philippe goes past him in the finale. So, Hales goes into the best 11 this season as a no brainer.  

He has scored 543 runs this season in 15 matches at an average of 38.79. He has scored these runs at a superb strike-rate of 161. He has hit 3 fifty-plus scores and a century with the highest score of the tournament of 110. 

Apart from that, he has broken Marcus Stoinis’ record of most sixes in a season by striking 30 sixes. He was exceptional through the entire league giving good starts to the Thunders. Major credit for bringing the Syndey Thunder to the playoffs goes to him.