Ben Hilfenhaus bowled the first maiden over in Big Bash League history. The right-arm pacer achieved the feat while playing for the Hobart Hurricanes against the Perth Scorchers. The first maiden over was bowled by Hilfenhaus on the 18th of December 2011 at the W.A.C.A Stadium.
Bowling in the second innings, the Hurricanes set up a target of 141 runs for the Scorchers to chase. Hilfenhaus picked up a wicket each in his first and second over. In his first two overs, the Australian pacer only conceded five runs while picking up two wickets. His third over was a maiden over to Paul Collingwood. He finished with a five-run over with figures of 2/10. These figures were enough for him to be named the Player of the Match as the Hurricanes won by 31 runs.
Jason Behrendorff bowled the most maidens in BBL 2024/25. The tall left-arm pacer bowled three maiden overs in the season. He was the only bowler to deliver multiple maiden overs. He was the shining light in the Perth Scorchers camp as they missed out on making it into the playoffs.
Spencer Johnson, Peter Siddle, Will Sutherland, Jack Edwards, Fergus O’Neill, and Ashton Agar bowled a maiden over each. Among the six bowlers, Johnson took the most wickets. Playing for the Brisbane Heat the left-arm pacer took 13 wickets in spite of playing only seven matches.
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Fawad Ahmed has bowled the 5th most maidens in the BBL. The leg-spinner bowler has bowled four maiden overs in the league. He was roughly 28 years of age when the Pakistan-born cricketer left his nation for Australia seeking asylum. Ahmed’s journey was filled with challenges, however, he overcame them and became an important part of the four BBL teams he played for.
In the BBL, the right-arm leg-spinner played 99 matches and took 90 wickets. He was able to control the flow of runs and was an economical bowler throughout his career. Only once when he played more than a single game, Ahmed had an economy of more than 8 RPO in a single BBL season. He ended his career with an economy of only 7.14 RPO.
Ben Dwarshuis has the 4th most maidens in the BBL. The left-arm pacer has bowled four maiden overs in the tournament. Dwarshuis’ bowling performances have been up and down in the Big Bash League. In spite of bowling four maiden overs in the tournament, the New South Wales-born bowler has an economy of 8.12. The bowler also holds the joint record for picking up the most five-wicket hauls in the BBL.
Dwarshuis is playing his 11th season in the tournament. In the last few years, he has been a regular wicket-taker for the Sydney Sixers. His best performance in the league came in BBL 2017/18. While he was poor in terms of picking wickets during the season, Dwarshuis maintained an economy of only 6.96 RPO after bowling 29 overs in the season.
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Jhye Richardson has bowled the 3rd most maidens in the BBL. The fast bowler has bowled five maiden overs in the BBL. His ability to swing the ball early into the innings while bowling at speeds in excess of 140 kmph means that the batters face difficulty in getting off the mark while facing him. The right arm pacer’s biggest battle has been with injuries. When fit he is an automatic selection in most teams and a more than useful back-up to Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc in the Australian team.
In the BBL, Jhye has only played 75 matches in 11 seasons. In these matches, the right-arm pacer has managed to get 102 matches. He has been a genuine wicket-taking option for the five-time champions, Perth Scorchers. His best season in the tournament came in the BBL 2020/21. Jhye picked up 29 wickets in the season while bowling at an economy of 7.69.
Jason Behrendorff has bowled the 2nd most maidens in the BBL. The left-arm pacer has bowled six overs in the tournament without conceding a run. He is an economical bowler in the tournament going slightly over seven runs per over. With the presence of Cummins, Starc, and Hazlewood, Behrendorff has had limited opportunities in the national team. However, his 29 games for the Australian team have helped in bowling in the BBL.
Behrendorff’s best BBL season came in 2024/25. The tall pacer bowled three maidens in a single season for the five-time champions, Perth Scorchers. He picked up 17 wickets in the season which was his second-best after the 2022/23 season. In that season, Behrendorff picked up 21 wickets in 14 games while maintaining an economy of 6.69 runs per over.
Kane Richardson holds the record for bowling the most maidens in the BBL. The right-arm pacer has bowled six maiden overs so far in his career. He is one of the few bowlers to have played in all seasons of the competition. With more than 400 overs under his belt, Richardson has been a consistent bowler in the tournament bowling at an economy of 7.83 RPO. His economy at first glance will look high for someone who has bowled the most maidens in the BBL. However, considering that he bowls in the death, Kane has been nothing short of incredible with his skills in the fag end of a T20 innings.
Kane played for the Adelaide Strikers before moving to Melbourne Renegades. The move paid huge dividends for both Kane and the team. In his second season with the Renegades, Kane impressed everyone. In 14 matches, the right-arm pacer picked up 24 wickets and bowled at an economy of 7.75 RPO. His performances helped the Renegades win their only title in the Big Bash League.
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