Black Cap signs three-year BBL deal, reportedly most expensive ever

Black Caps opener Finn Allen has reportedly become the most expensive player in the history of Australian T20 cricket after he signed a three-year contract with a Big Bash League team.

The 27-year-old, who has moved from the Perth Scorchers, signed a contract reportedly worth NZ$740,000 with the Melbourne Stars, joining Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis as the side chases a maiden BBL championship.

"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.

"They've already got a huge fanbase and they're only getting bigger, and I can't wait to be a part of that. I think all cricketers love playing at the MCG, so to be able to call that my home ground now is really exciting."

Allen comes off a red-hot 2025/26 season, in which he was the BBL's leading scorer with 466 runs and a record 38 sixes — numbers that put him among the most feared top-order batters in the competition.

He carried that form into international cricket too — with a record-breaking century against South Africa helped fire the Black Caps into the Twenty20 World Cup final in India.

Allen's countrymen are also on the move over the ditch: Tim Seifert has a one-year contract from the Melbourne Renegades to the Sydney Sixers and Mark Chapman is expected to head to the Adelaide Strikers.

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