The Melbourne Stars were knocked out of BBL|15 at the exact same stage as the season prior, but there’s no doubt in coach Peter Moores’ mind that his squad had a much-improved Big Bash campaign.

Entering 2026 undefeated and on top-of-the-table, the Stars finished their tournament with an agonising three-run loss to the Hobart Hurricanes in the Knockout.

Despite feeling disappointed with how the season ended, Moores summarised his team’s season by noting a change in expectations he experienced within the group.

“In BBL|14, we scrambled into the Knockout,” Moores said.

“This time I thought we actually qualified fairly comfortably, so I think we went into the finals this time with a strong expectation we could win. I was actually more disappointed we didn’t finish in the top two.”

Unlike twelve months earlier, when the Stars were forced to win their last five regular season matches to make the finals, this season’s squad managed to secure their place in the top four on January 13, with one match still to play before the finals.

This fixture ended up being a top-spot decider against eventual champions, Perth Scorchers, and it’s this defeat that Moores views as one of the pivotal moments in the Stars’ quest for a first Big Bash title.

“That was a missed opportunity,” Moores said.

“We were either going to finish top or fourth, and when you finish top, you’ve got the huge advantage of two games at the MCG. As soon as we finished fourth, it was going to be a tougher task.

“Another one was against the Heat in the fifth game, when we had won four-in-a-row. We look back at that and think we should have closed that out, which would have put us in a strong position. We probably would have finished top two, so that was also a missed opportunity.”

In what turned out to be their final match of BBL|15, Moores admitted that despite being challenged with the task of defeating the then reigning champions at home in the Knockout, he felt the side were in a good position to progress further in the finals series.

“That was frustration, because I think generally, had we have played a full 20-over game, I really fancied our chances,” Moores said.

“Hobart were in a tough situation, because they’d lost some key players like Tim David, Nathan Ellis, and then obviously Chris Jordan was missing and that put some real pressure on them. 

“We won the flip (and batted), so we made our own choice, but the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern actually on this occasion didn’t do us many favours as it took away the (Power) Surge over.

“No complaints, it was credit to everybody to get the game on at all, as the conditions were anything far from perfect, but the fact that we actually got a game in was a lot more satisfying than maybe going out without a ball being bowled.”

The Knockout: Hobart Hurricanes v Melbourne Stars | BBL|15

Having now completed his third season at the Stars as head coach, Moores’ reign has seen the club win four games (BBL|13), five games (BBL|14) and six games (BBL|15) across his tenure.

In another sign of progress, for the first time in club history the organisation had five players named in the BBL|15 Team of the Tournament, including Sam Harper, Marcus Stoinis, Tom Curran, Haris Rauf and Peter Siddle.

Reflecting on the improvements the club has made over his journey, Moores revealed some key factors that he believes is helping the Stars edge closer to a maiden Big Bash triumph.

“I think the biggest factor was a settled team and squad from the year before,” Moores said.

“Although two or three new names came in, you’ve still got probably eight or nine of that team, the same as it was the season before.

“My other reflection is we were getting performances from a lot more people than just our bigger players. So in my first two seasons there, there was a heavy reliance on people like Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell to deliver, and the overseas players.

“This year, there were more high-quality performances coming from other local players, which made a significant difference I think towards the campaign.”

In this second BBL|15 season review on cricket.com.au, Moores helps us breakdown the Melbourne Stars’ season through the key talking points that defined their summer.

Melbourne Stars: BBL|15 snapshot

BBL|15 result: Fourth (6 wins, 5 losses), lost Knockout to Hurricanes by 3 runs (DLS method)

 

Most runs: Sam Harper (381 at 54.42)

 

Best strike rate (min. 50 runs): Tom Curran (187.50)

 

Most wickets: Haris Rauf (20 at 16.75)

 

Best economy (min. 10 overs): Peter Siddle (7.12)

 

Contracted for BBL|15: Austin Anlezark (contracted until BBL|16), Hilton Cartwright (BBL|17), Sam Harper (BBL|17), Liam Hatcher (BBL|16), Campbell Kellaway (BBL|17), Glenn Maxwell (BBL|17), Tom Rogers (BBL|16), Peter Siddle (BBL|16), Marcus Stoinis (BBL|16), Mitch Swepson (BBL|17)

 

Uncontracted: Scott Boland, Blake Macdonald, Hamish McKenzie, Jon Merlo, Aryan Sharma, Mark Steketee, Tom Whitney, Joe Clarke (England), Tom Curran (England), Haris Rauf (Pakistan), Sam Hain (England)

Strong start

Melbourne Stars lost just one match in 2025, winning nine out of 10 fixtures in the calendar year. With five of these victories coming at the back-end of BBL|14, Moores believes the squad’s strong end to that tournament significantly helped the team start the latest BBL season on a positive note.

“Finishing strong in a season and then having the list pretty similar the following year is a real is a strength,” Moores said.

“You’ve actually finished with a settled side, so everybody knows the roles and the style of play. To start that off straight away the following season is much easier than if you haven’t found your formula for success yet.”

In contrast to the season prior, the Stars started BBL|15 in Melbourne, and had the opportunity to play a match at the MCG before Christmas (December 18 v Hurricanes). Moores acknowledged a later start date and a home fixture helped the team settle into the competition.

“We also didn’t play the very first game for a change, which was nice. We actually got two or three days build-up which was nice as well.”

“We obviously are away for a long time over Christmas because of the Boxing Day Test. I thought the fixture was balanced, in that we got a few more days at the start to build up, which felt like a fair compensation for other bits you get when the season rolls out.

Melbourne Stars v Hobart Hurricanes | BBL|15

MCG memories

From the four matches Melbourne Stars played at the MCG in BBL|15, the team in green went 2-2 on a surface that has created plenty of debate throughout both the domestic and international seasons.

Having been involved in twelve fixtures at the venue since taking the role of head coach at the Stars, Moores revealed he didn’t see anything too unusual about a wicket that has been the subject of criticism across the summer.

“It wasn’t much different to what it has been before,” Moores said.

“I felt for Pagey (MCG curator, Matt Page), because he got put under pressure because of the Test match. Like most things, I’ve always got a huge empathy for groundsmen, because it’s not an exact science. They’re trying to produce the best surface.

“For us generally, you have to play well in the first ten overs at the MCG, because it’ll do a little bit, and then you normally cash in during the back ten (overs). It was not that much different to normal and what it has been.”

As one of the marquee fixtures on the Big Bash calendar, the Melbourne Derby at the MCG in BBL|15 delivered the third-highest crowd (68,124) in Big Bash history. Although the Stars fell in the final over of a thrilling contest to their cross-town rivals, Melbourne Renegades, Moores recognised just how significant the occasion was for his team and the league.

“It was a pinch me moment,” Moores said.

“You look at that in a domestic game, it’s a dream playing in front of crowds like that and an atmosphere like that. It was a great game of cricket, which was actually fitting for the crowd that was there. We were flat at the end of it in the dressing room… but the bottom line was, it was a great game of cricket, and a lot of people came and had a great night.”

Sam Harper’s sensational season

In a season of surprises, Sam Harper’s scintillating BBL|15 campaign was up there with the very best of them.

Having made just 153 runs at an average of 13.90 in the previous season, Harper’s extraordinary summer saw him make 381 runs at an average of 54.42. The stunning turnaround in form earned the 29-year-old the league’s top individual honour, as he claimed the KFC BBL|15 Player of the Tournament award.

After making his first half-century since BBL|12 on December 23 against the Adelaide Strikers at Adelaide Oval, the wicketkeeper batter reached three figures on Boxing Day for the first time in his Big Bash career, with a stunning 110no off 65 balls against the Sydney Sixers at the SCG.

Referencing the opener’s maturity and poise at the crease, Moores praised Harper for trusting his processes on his way to becoming the Stars’ leading run-scorer in BBL|15.

“He did fantastically well based on a couple of things,” Moores said.

“I think he made some key decisions to trust his way of playing. He’s one of those players who has a swing arc that is slightly across the ball. It’s like a golf swing arc. It’s not the purest up and down the ball, but it’s a beautiful swing, and it’s very well suited to T20.

“He grooved his way of playing until he got his tempo right. He didn’t try and over funk anything. He didn’t look for a scoop too early… and the innings at the SCG was one of the best T20 innings I’ve seen from an opening batter. It was a tough surface and he made that run chase look very easy on a surface that we actually thought we were going to struggle with at the halfway stage.”

Harper notches maiden ton in Boxing Day bonanza

Haris Rauf returns in style

Haris Rauf missed BBL|14 after the Pakistan Cricket Board denied him an NOC allowing him to participate in the league, but the right-arm quick returned to the Big Bash this summer, and didn’t he deliver for the team in green.

Rauf ended the regular season as the BKT Golden Arm winner alongside Melbourne Renegades’ Gurinder Sandhu. At the conclusion of the competition, Rauf ruled supreme with the most wickets of any player in the tournament (20 at an average of 16.75).

Highlighting the significant contribution the Pakistan speedster made for the Stars this season, Moores spoke glowingly on developments Rauf has made to his game since he first started working with him in Melbourne.

“I think Haris is getting better and better,” Moores said.

“He’s always been a good player, but he’s got older and more mature, he’s got even better. I think his slower balls now are working really well, and he’s obviously got airspeed. Haris bowled one (over) up front and then often three in the back ten (overs). (He) took some really tough overs and delivered wickets when we really needed them.”

House of Rauf: Every wicket of Haris’ starring season

Tom Curran with the new ball

Coming back to the Stars for a second season, English allrounder Tom Curran showed his class in a superb Australian summer for the 30-year-old.

Across the 10 matches he played in the tournament, Curran took 16 wickets at an average of 17.50, and an impressive economy of 7.77.

As a key pillar in the Stars’ bowling unit, Moores was complimentary of Curran’s ability to perform in big moments, including the Powerplay.

“We used him up front a lot in the Powerplay, and he got swing, bowled aggressive lengths and challenge batters, so credit to him,” Moores said.

“He had a tough year the year before. He had injuries and he hadn’t quite managed to play the sort of cricket he knows he can. I thought this year he came on a bit of a mission to show the Melbourne fans that he’s a better player than what he delivered last year. I thought he did a great job of doing that.

“You need wickets in the Powerplay, there’s no doubt about that, and we had it the year before in Mark Steketee. Stek got injured this year so he couldn’t play, so TC stepped into that role and did a great job for us.”

Curran’s four dismantle Strikers at MCG

The evergreen Peter Siddle

Age is no barrier for 41-year-old, Peter Siddle. The former Australian player played his last Test match for the country in September 2019, but that hasn’t stopped the Stars quick from delivering the goods for his Big Bash team.

Siddle took a remarkable 16 wickets at an average of 17.12 during BBL|15. The Victorian also had the best bowling economy for any player who took more than 15 wickets across the season (7.12).

Speaking on the longevity and professionalism of Siddle, Moores was in awe of the work ethic and attitude the experienced right-arm bowler continues to bring to his BBL side.

“Pete is great to work with, because on and off the field, he now gets everything,” Moores said.

“He lives life to the full in a really good way. He leads other people and he’s simplified everything. That’s the best way to describe Pete now.

“He just bowls good heavy balls at the top of the stumps, with good changes of pace. I would say, in the Big Bash this year, he was the most consistent bowler across any team on delivering day in, day out. I have nothing but praise for him.”

41 and still got it! Siddle unstoppable in BBL|15

Marcus Stoinis’ leadership

In his second season as skipper, Marcus Stoinis took 15 wickets for the Stars, a personal best for the man leading the only club without a Big Bash title.

Along with 273 runs with the bat at an average of 54.60, including two half-centuries, Stoinis made his mark on the field, but what about his impact off it?

“Marcus looks after people, and I think that’s the side people don’t see,” Moores said.

“On the field, you see this sort of gladiatorial type leader who galvanises people, leads from the front, and sticks his chest out. Off the field, he’s still got that. He’s got a presence about him as a man, there’s no doubt about that, but I think he also understands that teams are glued together by how they are off the field.

“Generally he connects people within the team. I think that was an area that was became really strong for us. Creating the right environment off the field to make sure that when we get on there, there’s this balance between the intensity we need on the field, and we’re relaxed enough off it. I think he got that balance right.”

Pumped-up Stoinis back to his bowling best

Glenn Maxwell’s form

After claiming the Player of the Tournament award for BBL|14 with Perth Scorchers young gun, Cooper Connolly, Glenn Maxwell failed to fire in a disappointing season for the Stars icon.

The allrounder made just 76 runs from eight innings at an average of 15.20 and with a top score of 39 not out.

While the former Stars skipper played every match of the club’s campaign, there were different aspects to Maxwell’s role in BBL|15, including regularly batting at No.6, leaving the 37-year-old starved of opportunity with the bat at the start of the competition.

Although Moores knows the 129-match Big Bash veteran didn’t have the season Stars fans wanted, he could not fault the efforts Maxwell displayed throughout the competition.

“It wasn’t his tournament this year, but that happens,” Moores said. 

“That happens a bit in T20, you have tournaments when it doesn’t quite happen for you, but what I love about Maxi is the way he plays his cricket and his passion for the game. It spills over sometimes on the field, you can feel his frustration when something doesn’t quite go right, or when someone makes a mistake, but you’d much rather that total engagement in a game than somebody who’s just doing lip service to another game.

“I don’t think Glenn has ever played a game of T20 cricket for the Stars where he’s not put it all on the line. Ultimately, that is what we want from our players.”

‘He makes it look easy’: Maxwell’s boundary catching masterclass

Squad moves and an eye on BBL|16

In one of the more significant moments since the final ball of the BBL|15 season, Glenn Maxwell knocked back interest from rival clubs to re-sign with the Stars for two more years prior to the Player Movement Window.

The club have secured the services of the 37-year-old for another two seasons in a move Moores believes was integral to the club in their pursuit of a first BBL trophy.

“It’s really important to us, because over the years, Maxi has epitomised the Stars,” said Moores.

“The thought of winning it without Maxi in the team would be a real shame. He’s put so much into the club all the way through. He’s box office to watch.

“We want to see him doing well, and he has done that for so many years for the Stars, so it’s great to get him back on board.”

Outside of Maxwell, Siddle and Harper have put pen to paper for the Stars, while the club has also locked in talented left-hand batter Campbell Kellaway, 20-year-old speedster Austin Anlezark and veteran Hilton Cartwright for next season. 

While Moores is satisfied with the list as it stands, the Stars coach revealed what type of player the club may need to help them rise up the ranks.

“You’re always looking for good players,” Moores said.

“It’s not easy signing players in the Big Bash, if I’m honest, because players do move a little bit, but not that much compared to a lot of the leagues around.

“If there’s a top flight local batter out there, you’d be looking at him. Everybody is always looking for allrounders, but if I’m honest, you’re looking to see if there’s a quality cricketer out there that is local. Local is good, because it gives you more scope in your overseas bracket.

“I think you’re always open, but what I do think at the moment is we’re happy with our list. Our list has matured.

“The fact we saw someone like Campbell Kellaway play the whole season this year at No.3 was fantastic for his development. I thought Tommy Rogers started to make a bit of a move, as well as Sam Harper. Blake Macdonald came in and showed he could play, so there was a lot of local movement in our batting group, which is really exciting.”

Although the wait goes on for a first Big Bash title, another improved season has left the coach feeling optimistic that the club is on track to break the duck in BBL|16.

“I love the fact that this year our players actually did show some emotion on the field, and it did look like it meant something to us, because I think that’s important for people to see,” Moores said.

“We’re going hard at it and we really want to win this tournament. We may not get over the line at the end, but we’re going to commit totally to that goal.”