Amidst some big international names across each of the eight teams, there were quite a few from the younger lot who had breakout seasons at BBL 09. Here’s a look at the best of the young guns:

Haris Rauf – Melbourne Stars

10 matches, 20 wickets @ 13.35, ER: 7.06 , Best: 5-27

While, at 26, not exactly a youngster, Haris Rauf burst onto the scene at BBL 09. He walked into the Melbourne Stas playing XI as a replacement for South African speedster Dale Steyn and by the end of the season, he emerged as one of the brightest prospects from the BBL. Rauf’s raw pace and aggression was one of the highlights of Melbourne Stars’ run to the tournament final.

The Pakistan quick was Glenn Maxwell’s go-to bowler in the middle overs and at death and boasted an incredible economy of just over seven. Apart from his short of length deliveries that hurried onto the batsman, Rauf used slower ones to great affect to bamboozle some of the very best in the slog overs.

THE MCG IS ROCKING!

Haris Rauf takes a hat-trick, can you believe it?! #BBL09 pic.twitter.com/s47jpk93gv

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 8, 2020

In the home league fixture against Sydney Sixers, Rauf dismissed Matthew Gilkes, Callum Ferguson and Daniel Sams off three consecutive balls to bag a hat-trick. What was even more astounding was the fact that he conceded just a single off the bat while bowling the last over of the innings. His glorious run in the competition earned him a maiden international call-up for the home T20I series against Bangladesh last month.

Josh Philippe – Sydney Sixers

16 matches, 487 runs @ 37.46,  SR: 129.86, HS: 83*, five fifties

Josh Philippe made his presence felt throughout the season, hitting five fifties, second only to Marcus Stoinis and Alex Hales who struck six each. The most significant of those came on the biggest occasion of them all, the final, where his 29-ball 52 powered the Sydney Sixers to a match-winning total of 116-5 in a rain-shortened game against Melbourne Stars.

[caption id=”attachment_137395″ align=”alignnone” width=”800″] Philippe struck four fours and three sixes during his match-winning 29-ball 52 in the final against Melbourne Stars[/caption]

He made a strong statement in his very first outing, against Perth Scorchers, striking an unbeaten 81 off a mere 44 balls to help his side complete the 132-run chase in only 15 overs. That launched him into the public consciousness and he was soon picked up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the IPL 2020 auctions.

He was found wanting against spinners at times, but his striking against Adam Zampa in the final showed that he could have success against the slow stuff. His other three fifties in the competition all came in successful run-chases, and he remained unbeaten in two of those. The 22-year-old had a good time behind the stumps too, effecting 11 dismissals from 15 innings.

Tom Banton – Brisbane Heat

Seven matches, 223 runs @ 31.85, SR: 176.98, HS: 64, three fifties

In a line-up that boasted of some true T20 giants in Chris Lynn and AB de Villiers, Tom Banton still managed to make a reputation for himself with his incredible power-hitting at the top. He announced himself from the offset, taking Daniel Sams for two sixes and a four in the very first over of the tournament opener at the Gabba. That though was just a taster of what was to come.

Tom Banton is phenomenal at cricket, exhibit No.537 pic.twitter.com/WBbLrvp61K

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) January 11, 2020

His overall strike-rate of 176.98 was the highest for anyone in the competition among players who batted more than once. The standout performance came in a rain-curtailed fixture against Sydney Thunder, wherein he raced to fifty off a mere 16 balls: the second-fastest in the competition’s history. The highlight of that innings were his five consecutive sixes against off-spinner Arjun Nair, which made up the joint most expensive over in BBL history: a feat previously achieved by his skipper four seasons ago against Ben Hilfenhaus.

His exploits at the top earned him a contract extension with Brisbane Heat for the next two seasons.

Wes Agar – Adelaide Strikers

12 matches, 17 wickets @ 21.47, ER: 8.90, Best: 4-33

Wes Agar’s role with the Adelaide Strikers was similar to that of Ben Laughlin’s task in previous seasons of picking up wickets after the openers had done their thing, much needed after Laughlin’s move to Brisbane Heat ahead of the 2019/20 season. Agar’s approach and style though is starkly different to that of Laughlin, as he relies more on pace and shorter-length deliveries to pick up his scalps.

Agar struck crucial blows while bowling as the first change and in the middle overs, before finishing up the innings in partnership with the experienced Peter Siddle in the slog overs. His death bowling expertise came to the fore during Adelaide Strikers’ home game against Perth Scorchers, where he didn’t concede a single boundary while bowling two overs at the death in a rain-shortened game. He got two wickets in the process, that of Cameron Bancroft and his brother Ashton to help his side register a 15-run win.

As the tournament progressed, Agar showed that he could produce the goods even after being put under the pump: in the knockout game against Sydney Thunder in Adelaide, he conceded 41 off his first three over but came back strongly to concede just a single and a wide while prizing out Chris Morris in the penultimate over of the innings. That though wasn’t enough as Adelaide eventually fell short by eight runs to get knocked out of the competition.

Beau Webster – Melbourne Renegades

14 matches, 425 runs @ 42.50, SR: 131.98, HS: 67*, three fifties

Beua Webster’s impeccable consistency was perhaps the lone bright spot for Melbourne Renegades, who finished at the bottom of the table with just three wins from 14 games. He initially slotted in at the No.6 position, but his blistering 37-ball 67* against the Scorchers in a stiff chase of 197 at the Optus Stadium earned him promotion up the order.

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Taking the crucial No.4 position for the 2018/19 champions, Webster showed his adaptability to all game situations and revived his team more often than not, while playing the role of both anchor and finisher. His performances became even more noteworthy in skipper Aaron Finch’s absence, as the latter was unavailable for a good part of the season due to his international assignments.

The tall right-hander’s batting style is more about convention than innovation. He relies more on the hand-eye coordination and placement, and is equally adept of playing the boundary shots off either foot.