We love the Big Bash League (BBL). What’s not to like? Did you know that last year 11,164 runs were scored across just 35 games? There were also 876 fours, 382 sixes, 271 outfield catches and 11 games that were decided in the final over. This is just the tip of the statistical iceberg that we’ve uncovered at finder and it's barely a taste of what we’re going to provide over the coming months.

Big Bash Season 07 kicks off on 19 December and finder is sponsoring Network Ten’s broadcast coverage to help ensure fans get the best entertainment possible. But we have been wondering how we can add more to that coverage. As a company that's all about comparisons (we do compare everything after all), it became our goal to analyse the Big Bash in a way that has never been done before. To this end, we crunched the numbers of every game from Big Bash Season 06 in order to discover the most entertaining team and the most entertaining stadium in the league.

Our unique formula, which we call the Big Bash Entertainment Index (BBEI), has produced a fantastic comparison and some extraordinary results. For example, you'll never guess where title holders the Perth Scorchers ended up. Let’s get started!

The ins and outs of Big Bash Season 07

Season 07 of the Big Bash is the biggest yet. It includes two additional rounds, bringing the total games up to 43, all of which will be played in just 47 days. Last summer, it was 35 games, but an extension from 8 to 10 preliminary rounds is set to provide even more entertainment for fans.

If you’re still catching up on all the ins and outs of Season 07, why not check out the final squads for all eight teams. Plus, you can pencil in all the unmissable games by checking out our full and final Big Bash schedule and fixtures guide.

What is the Big Bash Entertainment Index?

They say T20 is the most entertaining form of cricket, but that doesn’t mean that all teams and all stadiums provide equal entertainment. Which is the most entertaining team in the Big Bash? Which grounds provides the most consistently entertaining experiences? What was the most entertaining match in Season 06? And how can you predict which matches from Season 07 will be unmissable, whether you're watching them live or on TV?

These are the questions we wanted to answer. So we created an algorithm, a magic formula that could definitively determine how entertaining a game of T20 cricket was in comparison to the games played around it. And as soon as we worked out how to define the entertainment of a single game, we were able to work out how entertaining individual teams were and even the stadiums in which games were played.

We call the figure that this formula produces the Big Bash Entertainment Index (BBEI). If you want to learn more about this and how we created the algorithm, check out our detailed introduction to the BBEI. We applied this formula to every game from Season 06 and here are the results.

What is the most entertaining Big Bash stadium?

Etihad Stadium, also known as Docklands Stadium, in Melbourne is Australia’s most entertaining grounds in which to watch the Big Bash. It received, on average, a BBEI of 2,542 across the four games that were played there in Season 06. By comparison, this revealed that a game played at Etihad Stadium is 27% more entertaining than the average Big Bash game. It also made Etihad Stadium 53% more entertaining than the lowest-scoring venue for Big Bash cricket. This “award” went to the beloved Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), which registered a BBEI of 1,475 on average across the four games played there. The SCG produced games 26% less entertaining than the average Big Bash game.

What is the most entertaining Big Bash team?

The most consistently entertaining team to watch was the Adelaide Strikers. On average, the Adelaide Strikers' performance registered a BBEI of 2,177. As such, the Adelaide Strikers produced T20 cricket that was 18% more entertaining than the average Big Bash team performance. They were 41% more entertaining than the least entertaining team in the Big Bash throughout Season 06, which was the Sydney Thunder. With its BBEI of 1,429, the Thunder’s performance was, on average, 23% lower than the Big Bash average.

Where did the finalists rank in the BBEI?

Despite winning Season 06 of the BBL, the Perth Scorchers were below average in entertainment value with a BBEI of 1,656. The same went for the team's home ground the WACA Ground, which scored a BBEI of 1,805. The Scorchers' opponents in the final, the Sydney Sixers, rated even lower in terms of entertainment across all their games with a BBEI of 1,559. Despite this, the Sixers’ home ground the Sydney Showground was slightly above average at producing an entertaining game, with a BBEI of 2,026.

What was the most entertaining game of T20 in the Big Bash Season 06?

The most entertaining game of last season was the Melbourne Renegades vs Hobart Hurricanes at Etihad Stadium, which had a BBEI of 3,062. The least entertaining game of Season 06 was the Sydney Sixers vs Sydney Thunder at the SCG, with the local derby notching up just 743 on the BBEI.

Based on the averages, however, your best bet for the most entertaining Big Bash Season 07 game would be watching the Adelaide Strikers play the Melbourne Renegades at Etihad Stadium. This was a game that didn’t actually occur in Season 06. The teams did meet once at Adelaide Oval, producing an excellent game that went down to the final ball and scored a very respectable BBEI of 2,653. The magic game will unfold in Season 07 on 22 January.

We do have an alternate algorithm for predicting the best games of Season 07, which also takes into account the previous encounters between each team. This algorithm places the Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Renegades game in second place and also gives a nod to the Melbourne Renegades vs Brisbane Heat game at Docklands. In Season 06, that game produced a great BBEI of 2,906 and the rematch will occur in Season 07 on 23 December.

How did the Big Bash finals rate?

The three finals played in Season 06 were a bit underwhelming. The first game (Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers at the Gabba) was a great game scoring a BBEI of 2,595. The second semi-final (Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Stars at the WACA Ground) did not do so well, with a BBEI of 1,726. The grand final (Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Sixers also at the WACA Ground) only managed a BBEI of 1,860.

The average Big Bash game had a BBEI of 2,000, meaning only one finals game produced an above-average entertainment value. In fact, being the most entertaining team and calling the most entertaining stadium home, did not equal league success in Season 06. Neither the Strikers nor the Renegades – the two most entertaining teams to watch – reached the finals, and only one of the finals games – Brisbane Heat vs.Sydney Sixers at the Gabba – was played in a stadium that ranked in the top four most entertaining.

Which Big Bash team and stadium produce the most sixes?

There’s nothing quite like watching a sweet strike send a ball flying over the fence. A big six is potentially the most exciting and entertaining part of T20 cricket. With 382 sixes hit across Season 06’s 35 games, fans were treated to quite the spectacle. But who was the best? And which grounds was the most conducive to the big hit?

Team with the most sixes

Stadium with the most sixes

What does the average Big Bash game look like?

We crunched the numbers from Season 06 of the Big Bash and were able to establish an exact picture of your typical Big Bash game. This is what it looks like:

38.1 overs

319 runs

8.83 run rate

1 fifty

25 fours

11 sixes

13 wickets

8 outfield catches 1 runout

6.5 byes and leg byes

8.5 illegal deliveries

3% chance of a hundred

25% chance of a four-wicket haul

36% chance of a home victory

31% chance of the outcome being decided in the final over

74% chance of the game being played in a stadium at least 70% full

What were the Big Bash Season 06 totals?

There’s a lot that happens in one season of the Big Bash League. Below you'll find all the totals from Season 06.

1,334.26 overs bowled

11,164 runs scored

49 fifties

1 hundred

9 four-wicket hauls

450 wickets

876 fours

382 sixes

271 outfield catches 24 runouts

11 close games

26 games in stadiums at least 70% full

13 home victories

61 byes

166 leg byes

26 no balls

270 wides

Which was the best Big Bash team and stadium for each metric?

If you’d like to dive deeper into the stats of your favourite team and your home ground, we have a helpful little tool for you below. Simply select which statistic or which team or stadium you’d like to compare and we’ll take it from there.

Who was the best at each metric?

Comparing the teams

Comparing the stadiums

How consistent were the Big Bash games in their entertainment?

Interestingly, when we plot the BBEI achieved by each individual game over time, we see quite an interesting pattern emerge. During the first half of the season, the competition was more evenly poised, even though it did fluctuate a bit. As the season entered its second half, we started to see a greater fluctuation between games. This may be because the grind of the season, injuries and a need to take more risks to get results led teams to either bunker down and play more conservatively or go down swinging in ways that saw them lose more convincingly.

Strange Big Bash stats

When you analyse such a large amount of data, you’re going to discover a lot of interest facts that otherwise would have remained hidden. Here are some of the offcuts from our Season 06 data that fans of the Big Bash are sure to find interesting.

Only 37% of Big Bash games were won by the home team.

There was only one hundred scored.

31% of the games were decided in the final over.

74% of games were played in a stadium at least 70% full.

21% of all runs scored were sixes.

31% of all runs scored were fours.

52% of all runs were boundaries.

60% of all wickets were caught in the outfield (as in, not by the wicketkeeper).

8% of all wickets were runouts.

65.4 overs were never played.

A minimum of 394 balls were therefore never bowled.

At an average run rate of 8.83 per over, this means a potential 577 runs went unscored.

250 wickets were never taken.

There was one four-wicket haul every four games.

The Hobart Hurricanes had the highest average number of fifties per game (one) and were the only team to have a player score a century.

The Adelaide Strikers had the most bowlers get four-wicket hauls, averaging one every two games.

The Melbourne Renegades completed 100% of all the overs made available to the team.

The Sydney Thunder completed 89% of all the overs made available to the team, the least in the competition. 64% of the games that were decided in the final over unfolded in a stadium at least 70% full.

The Melbourne Renegades are the team most likely to be in a game that goes to the wire. One in every three of its games is decided in the last over.

The average crowd was 30,574 per game.

The best crowd support was at the Sydney Showground, which on average was at 94% capacity. The anomaly is, of course, that its home team, the Sydney Thunder, was the least-entertaining team. The grounds itself was the fourth-most entertaining stadium, scoring a BBEI of 2,026.

The stadium with the most amount of growth potential is the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), home of the Melbourne Stars, which was on average just 50% full.

Only 34% of teams that batted first won.

Only 25% of teams chasing while playing at home won.

The Brisbane Heat is most likely to score its runs from boundaries (58%). The team hit the most sixes per game (nine).

The Sydney Thunder scored the least runs from boundaries (49%).

A season in the Women's Big Bash League is 37% longer than the Men's Big Bash League (consisting of 59 games in 57 days instead of 43 games in 47 days).

Picture: Haley Jackson, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (image cropped)