The young gun XI: The BBL's best new talent

To qualify, players had to be aged 23 or younger at the start of the season

1) Josh Philippe (Sydney Sixers)

The Player of the Tournament and second-highest leading run-scorer in BBL|10, it's hard to believe that Philippe is still just 23 years old. For the second season in a row, the young Western Australian has been one of the dominant batsmen in the competition and appears a matter of when – not if – he makes a big impact at international level too.

2) Max Bryant (Brisbane Heat)

It’s been another 'what if' season for Bryant, who again displayed his immense potential but was unable to dominate attacks for long periods of time. The powerful right-hander batted 14 times this season and had nine scores between 20 and 40 but wasn’t able to go any higher, frustrating numbers that illustrate an inability to cash in once he got himself set. But at the age of just 21, he's got plenty of time to better develop his enormous talent.

3) Sam Harper (Melbourne Renegades)

Another excellent season for Harper, who finished as the Renegades' leading run-scorer and was a rare bright spot in another disappointing campaign for his club. The right-hander, who turned 24 at the start of the season, was shuffled around the batting order but made some important contributions and finished the season well, posting scores of 63, 39, 57 and 19 in his last four games.

4) Oliver Davies (Sydney Thunder)

His scores tailed off and he finished the season out of the Thunder's best side, but 20-year-old Davies made a huge impact in BBL| 10 and announced himself as a player to watch for the future. Having impressed on debut against the Scorchers, Davies made headlines when he smashed five consecutive sixes against the Melbourne Renegades, including four in a row off the bowling of Afghanistan star, Mohammad Nabi.

5) Mackenzie Harvey (Melbourne Renegades)

Rated 'the best fielder in the world' by skipper Aaron Finch, Harvey showed what he can do with a sensational catch to dismiss Alex Hales partway through the tournament. But it was the left-hander's returns with the bat late in the season that were the most exciting, highlighted by his match-winning knock against the Stars at Marvel Stadium, and underlined the 20-year-old as a player to watch.

6) Jake Fraser-McGurk (Melbourne Renegades)

Another member of Australia's Under-19 World Cup squad last year, McGurk enjoyed a breakthrough knock against the Strikers in Adelaide, an unbeaten 29 as he and Mohammad Nabi steered the Renegades to an unlikely win to snap a seven-game losing streak. The 18-year-old added another brisk innings of 40 against the Heat in his next game and while his returns dwindled from there, there's no doubting his immense talent.

7) Aaron Hardie (Perth Scorchers)

Having played just two BBL games before this season began, Hardie has appeared in all 15 matches for the Scorchers this season and played an important role in their run to the finals. The 22-year-old has been a Mr Fix It throughout the season, chipping in with some handy cameos down the order and also bowling some key overs with the ball. He’s only taken seven wickets for the season but his list of batsmen dismissed – Usman Khawaja, Jake Weatherald, Matt Renshaw, Shaun Marsh, Mohammad Nabi, D’Arcy Short and Colin Ingram – makes for impressive reading.

8) Wes Agar (Adelaide Strikers)

One of the leading pace bowlers last season, Agar delivered again for the Strikers in BBL|10 and, heading into the final two games of the season, sits third on the list of leading wicket-takers. Despite often being handed the responsibility of bowling the tough overs – only three players have bowled more balls in the Power Surge – Agar finished the tournament with an economy rate of 8.35 and at the age of 23, there’s plenty of time to further develop his game.

9) Tanveer Sangha (Sydney Thunder)

The breakout star of BBL|10, Sangha has gone from Big Bash debutant to Australian squad member in a little more than two months. Having starred for the Australian Under-19's at last year's World Cup, the 19-year-old showed no signs of stage fright in his first taste of the big time and looks set to finish the season as the leading spin-bowling wicket-taker with 21 scalps and an economy rate of a touch over eight an over.

10) Xavier Bartlett (Brisbane Heat)

After a highly impressive showing in first-class cricket at the start of the summer, Bartlett continued to impress in the shortest format and has played all but one of the Heat's 16 games this season. Able to swing the new ball with impressive pace and bounce, he's also proven himself to be the ultimate team man as the Heat have used the new X-Factor rule to their advantage, the 22-year-old taking it all in his stride despite being taken out of the game at the 10-over mark on five separate occasions.

11) Peter Hatzoglou (Melbourne Renegades)

One of if not THE best story of the tournament, Hatzoglou's rise from Melbourne third grader to Big Bash fan favourite has been well documented. But his cult hero status should not overshadow a highly impressive set of numbers that has made him a wanted man in BBL cricket as well as in other domestic leagues around the world. At the time of writing, the 22-year-old is the third-highest spin-bowling wicket-taker for the season (behind Sangha and Adam Zampa), the new boy leading an attack that struggled for most of the season.

X-Factor: Zak Evans (Melbourne Renegades)

Having waited more than seven overs across three BBL matches and two seasons to take his first BBL wicket, paceman Evans quickly made up for lost time late in the season. The right-armer broke his drought with the wickets of Marcus Stoinis and Nathan Coulter-Nile in consecutive balls in the Melbourne derby and finished the season with 10 wickets in five games, including figures of 5-33 in the final game of the season, the 20-year-old becoming just the second Renegades bowler ever to take a five-wicket haul.

X-Factor: Ben Manenti (Sydney Sixers)

The fact Manenti played just eight games this season says more about the quality of the other Sixers bowlers than it does about the 23-year-old off-spinner. In his third season at the club, Manenti has taken only five wickets but conceded just 7.22 runs an over, a better economy rate than fellow spinners Zampa, Sangha and Fawad Ahmed. Veteran Steve O'Keefe is yet to decide if he'll play on again next season but if he does decide to retire, the Sixers won't lose much by bringing Manenti into the side to replace him.