Big Bash Awards: Every club's winner for Most Valuable Player

With the domestic summer officially coming to a close after South Australia’s historic Sheffield Shield win, awards season is now in full swing for Big Bash clubs right around the country.

Before attention very quickly turns towards the upcoming WBBL|12 and BBL|16 seasons, take a look and see who took out top honours for your club in the seasons just gone.

Adelaide Strikers

Laura Wolvaardt

Matches: 8 | Runs: 264 | Average: 44.0 | High Score: 71*

Laura Wolvaardt should pick up awards for her classical cover drives alone, however it was the sum of all parts that saw her crowned as the Strikers’ Most Valuable Player for WBBL|11.

Two half-centuries — headlined by a clinical and unbeaten 71 in her first game of the year against the Melbourne Renegades — were the crowning jewel of yet another proficient season, which unfortunately ended early after being recalled for South Africa’s white-ball campaign against Ireland.

Wolvaart’s inaugural accolade for the Strikers breaks the run of three-consecutive MVP awards for Megan Schutt, who is currently part of Australia’s white-ball tour of the West Indies.

Liam Scott

Matches: 10 | Runs: 310 | Average: 51.67 | Wickets: 5

Earmarked already as a key component of the Adelaide Strikers’ fabric moving into the seasons ahead, Liam Scott backed up those claims to take home his side’s BBL Most Valuable Player.

Bursting onto the scene with both bat and ball, it was the latter in particular where the 25-year-old — who was part of South Australia’s back-to-back Sheffield Shield triumph — stood out the most.

Accruing 310 runs at a whopping average of 51.67 striking at 139.01, Scott top-scored with a 91-not-out off 58 balls, incredibly scoring almost more than three times what the rest of his side mustered for the evening.

Brisbane Heat

Nadine de Klerk

Matches: 7 | Runs: 158 | Average: 22.57 | Wickets: 5

A challenging campaign for the Brisbane Heat making unwanted history as the first WBBL side to record a winless season, however Nadine de Klerk was a shining light to claim her first WBBL MVP.

Despite departing the competition early due to international commitments, the South African allrounder finished her fourth season in the competition with the most runs for the club (158), just ahead of Georgia Redmayne’s 154.

De Klerk also picked up her also best WBBL figures to-date with the ball, with her 3-24 haul against the Melbourne Stars claiming Annabel Sutherland, Kim Garth and Danielle Gibson.

Matt Kuhnemann

Matches: 9 | Wickets: 9 | Economy: 7.69 | Best: 2-14

Absolutely every ball counted when Matt Kuhnemann stepped to the crease, and it certainly amounted to plenty as he secured his first BBL MVP award in light of a stellar season with the ball.

The fiercely economical left-armer, taking the spin reins solo after the departure of Mitch Swepson to the Stars, netted 59 dot balls from his 35 overs bowled, which included nine wickets and an economy of 7.69.

Kuhnemann is the first spinner to claim the Heat’s MVP award since Afghan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman in BBL|08.

Hobart Hurricanes

Danni Wyatt-Hodge

Matches: 11 | Runs: 432 | Average: 48.0 | High Score: 90

It’s hard to argue it being anything other than a flawless season for Danni Wyatt-Hodge, whose title-winning year comes complete with the Hurricanes’ WBBL Player of the Year award.

The England opener was on-song right from the get-go, launching her way to a 52-ball 90 in the club’s opening game before rounding out the season with four half-centuries and an average a touch under 50.

Alongside Lizelle Lee at the top of the order, the Hurricanes’ proved difficult to beat should either of the pair get settled; so much so, that the Hurricanes’ two losses for the season coincided with rare down days for the destructive opening duo.

Rishad Hossain

Matches: 12 | Wickets: 15 | Economy: 7.82 | Best: 3-26

Inaugural seasons in the BBL don’t get much better than Rishad Hossain’s, with the Bangladeshi spinner securing his maiden BBL Player of the Year accolade.

An enticing watch through his flight and leg-spin tricks, Rishad bamboozled many opponents through his craft and guile to claim the most wickets for the Hurricanes (15) and place among the top-10 leading wicket-takers for BBL|15.

Although a 3-26 masterclass against the Adelaide Strikers served as his best figures for the season, it was the highly coveted wicket of Steve Smith in the Challenger — albeit the Sixers winning in the end — which served as his crowning moment of a bedazzling BBL|15.

Melbourne Renegades

Georgia Wareham

Matches: 10 | Wickets: 19 | Economy: 5.47 | Best: 3-12 | Runs: 277 | Average: 39.57 | High Score: 58

Wareham has plenty of success with both bat and ball throughout WBB|11, finishing equal-first in the competition for wickets and seventh for runs.

Despite her brilliant season, the Renegades were unable to defend their title and missed out on the WBBL finals entirely. 

Josh Brown

Matches: 10 | Runs: 311 | Average: 31.1 | High Score: 84

It was a lacklustre season for the Renegades, however big-hitter Josh Brown a shining light in a side that missed the finals.

Brown finished eighth in the competition for runs, with a 127-run improvement in his output from BBL|14.

His power hitting was again on show, finishing with 20 sixes. That put him in equal-second alongside David Warner and Mitch Marsh, but a long way behind league leader Finn Allen (38).

Melbourne Stars

Meg Lanning

Matches: 11 | Runs: 479 | Average: 53.22 | High Score: 135

Meg Lanning again showed why she is a true legend of the game, with another almighty campaign in the books. 

Only Beth Mooney scored more runs than Lanning in WBBL|11, but the Scorchers played two additional games.

Lanning saved her best work for the Sixers, smashing 135 off just 74 balls. 

Sam Harper

Matches: 11 | Runs: 381 | Average: 54.43 | High Score: 110 | Dismissals: 14 

It was the start of something special for Sam Harper, where everything just seemed to click. 

He was a revelation for a surging Stars side and his form carried over to the Sheffield Shield and One-Day Cup as well. 

Harper finished with the second-most fours in the competition (37), third-most runs (381) and perhaps most importantly, the most wicketkeeper dismissals (14).

Perth Scorchers

Beth Mooney

Matches: 13 | Runs: 549 | Average: 45.75 | High Score: 105 | Dismisssals: 17

Mooney finished with more runs (549) than any other player in WBBL|11 and more wicketkeeper dismissals than anyone else (17).

In typical Mooney style, she also led the way when it came to fours (70), piercing the gaps in the field to get the Scorchers off to strong starts.

In a season with a number of huge scores, it was her 105 against Brisbane Heat that stood out. Her footwork and creativity to smash the ball around around the field made it one of the most entertaining innings of WBBL|11.

Finn Allen

Matches: 11 | Runs: 466 | Average: 42.36 | High Score: 101 | Sixes: 38

Finn Allen nearly doubled the field in a stellar season, hitting 18 more sixes than the likes of David Warner, Mitch Marsh and Josh Brown to pick up the esteemed Simon Katich Medal. 

His 38 maximums exemplify the destructive best form he reached in a title-winning year for the Scorchers. And it was a huge leap from his BBL|14 output too, shooting up from 181 runs to 466.

His season will be best remembered for his 101 off just 53 balls against the Renegades in a stunning display. 

Sydney Sixers

Ash Gardner

Matches: 10 | Runs: 143 | Wickets: 19 | Best Figures: 5-15

Assuming the captaincy from Ellyse Perry ahead of WBBL|11, Ash Gardner delivered with both bat and ball to claim the Sixers’ WBBL Player of the Tournament.

Gardner’s knack for breaking through a pivotal times across multiple matches served as a defining feature of her 19-wicket season, most notably in the final game of the season against the Adelaide Strikers.

After conceding three boundaries in the final over and their finals aspirations in jeopardy, Gardner held her nerve to break through for a late wicket and run-out from the final two deliveries to secure a one-run win and place in WBBL|11 finals.

Joel Davies

Matches: 13 | Runs: 137 | Wickets: 14 | Economy: 6.23

A breakout campaign in magenta from emerging allrounder Joel Davies has officially been capped off with the club’s BBL Player of the Tournament; his first major accolade in his four seasons to-date.

Much like his WBBL counterpart in Gardner, the economical Davies delivered several game-changing moments with the ball, peppered in-between several middle-order cameos with the bat to pull his side out of danger.

Crowned as Player of the Match on three separate occasion in BBL|15, the 22-year-old continued to flourish as the season progressed, adding the likes of Sam Harper, Josh Inglis and Marnus Labuschagne to his initial list of scalps.

Sydney Thunder

Heather Knight

Matches: 10 | Runs: 201 | Average: 28.71 | High Score: 65

Heather Knight is officially the Sydney Thunder’s most decorated cricketer, having secured her third Alex Blackwell Medal and becoming the first Thunder player — men’s or women’s — to win the club’s highest honour in back-to-back seasons.

Providing much-needed stability and experience to the Thunder’s batting stocks, the England international steadied the ship on multiple occasions, despite only passing the 50-mark once in a rollicking Sydney Smash.

Knight’s campaign also saw her surpass 2,500 WBBL runs and 100 WBBL games, 46 of which have been played at the Thunder.

Interestingly, five of the past six Alex Blackwell Medal recipients have been international recruits, including Knight (WBBL|06, WBBL|10, WBBL|11), Smriti Mandhana (BBL|07) and Chamari Athapaththu (WBBL|09).

Chris Green

Matches: 10 | Runs: 84 | Wickets: 4 | Economy: 7.78

Perhaps a surprise in the Sydney Thunder’s awards night, with Chris Green ousting the David Warner’s 433-run season to secure his second Michael Hussey Medal.

Although less prominent with the ball in BBL|15 from a wicket-taking perspective, Green was the undisputed star of the show with the bat against the Melbourne Renegades, where he blasted 34 not-out off just 13 balls — including a hat-trick of sixes — to jettison the Thunder home against the Renegades in what was one of just two wins for the season.

Green becomes just the second player to win two Michael Hussey Medals, with Shane Watson achieving the honour in BBL|05 (tying with Usman Khawaja) and BBL|07.