The votes are in so find out who the eight head coaches have picked in their best XI for BBL|15
Melbourne Stars dominate official BBL|15 Team of the Tournament
David Warner has been named captain of the official KFC BBL Team of the Tournament for the second year running as five new faces earned debuts in the tournament's best XI.
Despite Warner's Thunder finishing the last this season and Stars skipper Marcus Stoinis also being picked in the side, five of the eight head coaches nominated the veteran opener as their preferred leader of the BBL|15 Team of the Tournament.
The 39-year-old cracked two centuries this season to take out the BKT Golden Bat award with 433 runs, ahead of Perth Scorchers' star import Finn Allen and recently announced player of the tournament Sam Harper, who will open the batting in this honorary XI.
Official BBL|15 Team of the Tournament:
1. Finn Allen* – Perth Scorchers (6 votes)
2. Sam Harper* (wk) – Melbourne Stars (8 votes)
3. David Warner (c) – Sydney Thunder (7 votes)
4. Matthew Renshaw* – Brisbane Heat (8 votes)
5. Aaron Hardie – Perth Scorchers (6 votes)
6. Marcus Stoinis – Melbourne Stars (6 votes)
7. Jack Edwards* – Sydney Sixers (4 votes)
8. Tom Curran – Melbourne Stars (5 votes)
9. Haris Rauf – Melbourne Stars (6 votes)
10. Lloyd Pope – Adelaide Strikers (6 votes)
11. Peter Siddle – Melbourne Stars (6 votes)
12th: Liam Scott* – Adelaide Strikers (4 votes)
*denotes first time selected in BBL Team of the Tournament
Both Allen and Harper have been selected in the team for this first time, as has Brisbane Heat batter Matthew Renshaw somewhat surprisingly given his form in recent seasons, which has earned him a call up to Australia's T20 squad to tour Pakistan next week.
BKT Golden Arm winner Haris Rauf with lead the attack after his 18 wickets during the regular season, but there was no room for joint wickets leader Gurinder Sandhu who also claimed 18 scalps for Melbourne Renegades.
Melbourne Stars have three quicks in the top five wicket-takers this season and they've all made the cut in the Team of the Tournament with the evergreen Peter Siddle and Englishman Tom Curran joining Rauf in the side.
Along with Stoinis and Harper, that makes it five Stars players in the team, reflecting their dominance through the first half of the season.
Sydney Sixers allrounder Jack Edwards has earned his maiden Team of the Tournament call up following a career-best campaign with the ball, while Adelaide Strikers leggie Lloyd Pope got the nod for a second straight season as the leading spinner in the home-and-away matches with 15 wickets.
Scorchers allrounder Aaron Hardie rounds out the XI to provide another top-order batting and pace-bowling option having enjoyed a productive season in both facets to help his team reach the BBL Final for an unprecedented ninth time in the competition's 15-year history.
Selected by the league's eight head coaches, who each picked their best team from across the entire competition, the Renegades and Hobart Hurricanes are the two clubs not represented.
Harper and Renshaw were the only players to receive the maximum number of votes with eight, while emerging Strikers allrounder Liam Scott was named 12th man having tallied four votes for his 310-run, five-wicket breakout season.
Only one coach didn't have Warner (seven votes) in their team, while Allen, Hardie, Stoinis, Rauf, Pope and Siddle each received six votes.
Stoinis (BBL|09, |14 and |15) has been selected in the Team of the Tournament for a third time since the concept was introduced in BBL|09, while Hardie is in the team for the third time in four seasons.
"The BBL|15 Team of the Tournament features the perfect mix of established and emerging stars who have performed exceptionally during this campaign," said Alistair Dobson, Big Bash Leagues general manager.
"It is brilliant to see the likes of Sam Harper and Matt Renshaw earn selection for the first time, alongside a host of other experienced players. Their performances over many years reflect all players' dedication to the BBL.
"It's no surprise to see the likes of David Warner and Marcus Stoinis in the side again. They are two of Australia's finest white-ball players and their ability to perform on the big stage consistently is testament to the way they approach the game.
"Similarly, the BBL provides for world-class players including Finn Allen and Haris Rauf to showcase their talent. We know fans love watching them, and all members of this team, every night over the summer holidays."
Three of the team's 12 members are still alive in BBL|15 as Edwards' Sixers meet the Hurricanes at the SCG on Friday for a chance to take on Allen and Hardie's Scorchers in the season decider in Perth on Sunday.
BBL|15 finals schedule
Qualifier: Perth Scorchers beat Sydney Sixers by 48 runs
Knockout: Hobart Hurricanes beat Melbourne Stars by three runs (DLS method)
Challenger: Sydney Sixers v Hobart Hurricanes, SCG (Friday, January 23, 7.15pm AEDT)
Final: Perth Scorchers v winner of Challenger, Optus Stadium (Sunday, January 25, 7.15pm AEDT)
*A reserve day on Monday, January 26 (7.15pm AEDT) is available for the Final
KFC BBL|15 standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
SCO
|
10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.363 | 0 | 14 |
|
2
SIX
|
10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0.605 | 0 | 13 |
|
3
HUR
|
10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0.331 | 0 | 13 |
|
4
STA
|
10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.759 | 0 | 12 |
|
5
HEA
|
10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | -0.431 | 0 | 10 |
|
6
STR
|
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -0.231 | 0 | 8 |
|
7
REN
|
10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | -1.202 | 0 | 6 |
|
8
THU
|
10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | -1.212 | 0 | 4 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points