Top End T20 Series is a Twenty20 cricket tournament that takes place in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is organised by Northern Territory Cricket, sanctioned by Cricket Australia and was first contested during 2022.
The league is played before the Big Bash League every year, and acts as a pre-season tournament for the BBL.
History The competition was launched in 2022. It aims to make up for the absence of high-profile cricket in Northern Territory, and to act as a showcase for players from the Territory. 2022 Season The league's first season took place from 12 to 21 August 2022. The teams which competed were Cricket Australia XI, Melbourne Stars Academy, Melbourne Renegades Academy, Northern Territory Strike and Papua New Guinea. The final was held on 21 August, at Gardens Oval, Darwin, with Cricket Australia XI defeating Melbourne Stars Academy by 30 runs. Cricket Australia XI won the inaugural Top End T20 Series title. 2023 Season The 2023 Top End T20 Series took place from 30 July to 6 August 2023 in Darwin, Northern Territory. The teams which competed were Northern Territory Strike, Pakistan Shaheens, ACT Comets, Melbourne Stars Academy, Melbourne Renegades Academy and Papua New Guinea. The tournament featured six teams, with the top two sides progressing to the final. The final was held on 6 August at Marrara Oval, with Northern Territory Strike defeating Pakistan Shaheens by 46 runs. Northern Territory Strike scored 185/4, with Jack Wood scoring an unbeaten 101, before restricting Pakistan Shaheens to 139/7. Jack Wood was named player of the match.
2024 Season The 2024 Top End T20 Series took place from 9 to 18 August 2024 in Darwin, Northern Territory. The teams which competed were Adelaide Strikers, Melbourne Renegades, Perth Scorchers, Tasmania Tigers, Northern Territory Strike, Pakistan Shaheens, Bangladesh A and Northern Territory representative sides. The tournament was expanded to eight teams in 2024, including four Big Bash League teams and two overseas representative sides. The final was held on 18 August at Marrara Oval, with Adelaide Strikers defeating Perth Scorchers to win the Top End T20 Series title.
2025 Season The 2025 Top End T20 Series took place from 14 to 24 August 2025 in Darwin, Northern Territory. The tournament featured a record number of teams, with Big Bash League academies and international representative sides taking part. The teams included Perth Scorchers Academy, Adelaide Strikers Academy, Melbourne Renegades Academy, Melbourne Stars Academy, Hobart Hurricanes Academy, Northern Territory Strike, Pakistan Shaheens and the Americas representative side. The series was streamed live and free on 7plus. Perth Scorchers Academy won the tournament after defeating Adelaide Strikers Academy in the final to claim the 2025 Top End T20 Series title. The tournament produced a number of notable performances and statistical milestones, which were highlighted by Cricket Australia in its review of the 2025 competition. The series continued the tournament's international growth, with the inclusion of the Americas team making it part of the Top End T20 Series' increasingly global field.
2026 Season The 2026 Top End T20 Series took place from 21 to 30 August 2026 in Darwin, Northern Territory. The tournament was expanded to nine teams, with Big Bash League academy sides joined by domestic and international representative teams. The teams which competed were Adelaide Strikers Academy, ACT Comets, Bangladesh High Performance, Hobart Hurricanes Academy, New Zealand A, Northern Territory Strike, Nepal A, Victoria Academy and HH Kingsmen. New Zealand A made their first appearance in the competition, while Bangladesh made their third consecutive appearance.
Northern Territory Strike were coached by Johan Botha, who was appointed ahead of the tournament, while D’Arcy Short returned as captain for the 2026 competition. The final was held on 30 August at Marrara Stadium, Darwin, with Adelaide Strikers Academy defeating Victoria Academy by 25 runs to win the Top End T20 Series 2nd title. Adelaide Strikers Academy scored 177/5 from their 20 overs, with Harry Nielsen scoring 72 not out, before Victoria CA XI were restricted to 152/8. Henry Thornton took four wickets for Adelaide Strikers Academy, while Nielsen was named player of the match.
Results Season Final venueFinalMatchesTeamsSource WinnerResultRunner-up2022Gardens Oval, DarwinCricket Australia XICricket Australia XI won by 30 runsMelbourne Stars Academy115Scorecard2023Marrara Oval, DarwinNT StrikeNT Strike won by 46 runsPakistan Shaheens166Scorecard2024Marrara Oval, DarwinAdelaide Strikers AcademyAdelaide Strikers Academy won by 32 runsBangladesh HP XI309Scorecard2025Marrara Oval, DarwinPerth Scorchers AcademyPerth Scorchers Academy won by 15 runsAdelaide Strikers Academy3611Scorecard2026DXC Arena, DarwinAdelaide Strikers AcademyAdelaide Strikers Academy won by 25 runsCricket Victoria309Scorecard
Team summary by season TeamCountry2022(5)2023(6)2024(9)2025(11)2026(9) ACT Comets Australia – 6th 9th 11th 8th Adelaide Strikers Academy Australia – W RU W Bangladesh HP XI Bangladesh – RU – 3rd Bangladesh A Bangladesh – 9th – Chicago Kingsmen United States – 3rd – Cricket Australia XI Australia W – Cricket Victoria Australia – RU Hobart Hurricanes Academy Australia – 10th 9th Hyderabad Kingsmen Academy Pakistan – 6th Melbourne Renegades Academy Australia 3rd 3rd 6th 7th – Melbourne Stars Academy Australia RU 4th 7th 5th – Nepal Nepal – 8th – Nepal A Nepal – 7th New Zealand A New Zealand – 4th NT Strike Australia 4th W 4th 6th 5th Pakistan Shaheens Pakistan – RU 3rd 4th – Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea 5th 5th – Perth Scorchers Academy Australia – 8th W – Tasmania Australia – 5th –
Broadcasting The league will be broadcast live on the following channels. Region(s)/countries Streaming rights Australia 7plus New Zealand NZC YouTube Channel India FanCode Bangladesh T Sports Pakistan Tamasha West Asia & North Africa MYCO Nepal DGo Sri Lanka Styx Sports Afghanistan Styx Sports United States Canada Willow United Kingdom Apex Sports Rest of the world Apex SportsNZC YouTube Channel
References
External links
at Cricinfo