BBL 2024-25: Mitchell Owen thunders Hobart Hurricanes to maiden title

Monday, January 27 was a historic day in Big Bash League history as Hobart Hurricanes emerged the winners of the 2024-25 edition of the competition.

The final, which was played between Sydney Thunder and Hobart Hurricanes. While the Thunder was chasing their second BBL title, the Hurricanes were looking for their first title and had last made the finals in 2018 where they lost to the Adelaide Strikers. The match was played at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart, and the Hurricanes also won the toss and chose to bowl. 

The David Warner's Sydney Thunder looked good in the beginning with him alongside opener Jason Sangha giving them a great start, However the spells from Nathan Ellis (3/23) and Riley Meredith (3/27) did cause some problems for the former 2015–16 champions but due to some handy cameos from Oliver Davies and Sam billings the team still put up a formidable total of 182 on the board which was still a steep target to chase in the finals for the Hurricanes. 

This was a score that would have put a lot of pressure on Hurricanes who already faced heartbreak in the tournament before, however, this is where young Aussie batter Mitchell Owen came to the rescue with an incredible century at the top. Owen’s destructive innings of 108 off 42 deliveries included six fours and 11 sixes, and he was striking at 257.14 throughout his innings. With this century and the quick-fire cameos from Matthew Wade and Ben McDermott, the Hurricanes chased down the total in just 14.1 overs and won the match by seven wickets to win their maiden BBL title. 

Lost for words: Owen 

This was a historic moment for Hobart Hurricanes, and it is all thanks to Mitchell Owen and his destructive batting at the top. Owen was not only adjudged as the player of the match but also became the leading run scorer in the tournament, scoring 452 runs in 11 matches at an average of 45.20 and strike rate of 203.60.

"Amazing feeling, kinda lost for words. Super grateful for the fans, you've been great, so loud; really got us going out there (big applause). The first three or fours feels like a long time ago to be honest, but I tried to do what I did all season - get us off to a good start and take it easy up through the middle, and it worked out," Owen said while receiving his Player of the Match award.

The final knock will also be a memory for the 23-year-old batter who completed his century in just 39 deliveries, making it the joint-fastest century along with Craig Simmons who had achieved this feat in 2014 against the Perth Scorchers.