Perth Scorchers defeated Sydney Sixers in Sunday's final to win the Big Bash League for a record-extending sixth time, though Steve Smith was confused by the decision to play on in "pouring" rain.

Amid a raucous atmosphere at Optus Stadium, the Scorchers chased down a target of 133 with 15 balls remaining, sealing a six-wicket victory.

An opening partnership of 80 from Mitchell Marsh (44) and Finn Allen (36) set Perth on their way, with Josh Inglis' unbeaten knock of 29 helping them get over the line in relative comfort.

That was after they restricted every Sixers batter to a maximum of 24 runs, with Smith, Josh Philippe and Moises Henriques all falling for that score as Jhye Richardson (3-32) and David Payne (3-18) impressed with the ball.

But Smith, who was undone by a successful Scorchers review for lbw in the sixth over, was frustrated that play continued when the heavens opened early on in Perth's chase.

Play was halted at the end of the fifth over, meaning there would be a result if the match had to be abandoned, a decision that provoked Smith's ire.

Asked if play should continue at that point, Smith told Australian broadcaster Channel 7: "Nah, it's p****** down. Excuse the language but it's absolutely pouring.

"There's no way we should be playing cricket in this. I've never played when it's been raining this hard. It's pouring!"

THE PRIDE OF PERTH 

For a record sixth time, the Perth Scorchers are BBL champions  #BBL15 pic.twitter.com/ncqChsq9Ay

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 25, 2026

The rain did eventually let up enough for play to resume, and the Scorchers went on to seal their first BBL triumph since 2022-23. They have now won the competition twice as often as their nearest competitors – the Sixers (three titles).

Captain Ashton Turner told Fox Cricket afterwards: "It's a really satisfying feeling.

"A mountain of work has gone on the field but also behind the scenes to allow us to play cricket that has been good enough to win this competition again.

"It feels like a weight has been lifted off our shoulders; we have high expectations and to be able to deliver on those expectations is really satisfying.

"Tonight's the culmination of what's been 10 months of planning and preparation, and the effort that's gone into getting us through the last six to seven weeks has been immense."