Finn Allen Becomes Most Expensive Player in Big Bash History
The Big Bash League has its new headline act. Finn Allen, the Black Caps’ explosive opener, has reportedly become the most expensive player in the history of Australian T20 cricket after signing a three-year deal with the Melbourne Stars.
The 27-year-old has walked away from the Perth Scorchers for a contract believed to be worth around NZ$740,000, a figure that underlines just how aggressively the Stars are chasing that elusive first BBL title. He joins Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis in what now looks like one of the most intimidating batting cores the competition has seen.
“The Stars are a powerhouse team in this competition, so it's going to be a lot of fun playing for them,” Allen said in a statement, already sounding like a man ready to own centre stage at the MCG. He talked up the “huge fanbase” and the thrill of calling the famous ground home, adding that playing there regularly is “really exciting.”
The money follows the numbers. Allen is coming off a blistering 2025/26 campaign in which he topped the BBL run charts with 466 runs and launched a record 38 sixes. Bowlers knew what was coming and still couldn’t stop it. Those statistics didn’t just win games; they reshaped how teams think about the powerplay.
He didn’t cool off when he pulled on the black jersey, either. Allen carried that form into international cricket, smashing a record-breaking century against South Africa that helped propel the Black Caps into the Twenty20 World Cup final in India. It was the sort of innings that forces franchises to open the chequebook.
For the Stars, the move is clear: surround Maxwell and Stoinis with a fearless, high-octane opener and turn the MCG into a graveyard for opposition attacks. For Allen, it’s a chance to own one of the sport’s biggest domestic stages in his prime years.
New Zealand’s T20 footprint across the Tasman is growing with him. Tim Seifert has secured a one-year move from the Melbourne Renegades to the Sydney Sixers, while Mark Chapman is expected to link up with the Adelaide Strikers. Quietly, the Black Caps’ core is spreading through the league.
The Stars have long carried the tag of sleeping giant in the BBL. With Allen now at the top of their order and the most expensive deal in Australian T20 history on their books, they’ve run out of excuses.
