Hobart gives batters a fair go, but a merely decent total often falls short. The numbers in this Bellerive Oval pitch report back that up: over the last two completed Big Bash seasons, full 20-over first innings here averaged about 174, only one of those twelve totals reached 200, and three targets of 180 or more were chased down. So the short answer to "batting or bowling?" is a good surface to bat on, where par is not safe. On pace versus spin, the last Test here was settled by Australia's seamers, though Shane Warne remains the ground's leading Test wicket-taker. If you are setting a T20 target in Hobart, think nearer 190 than 170.
Whether to bat first is less clear-cut. Across the BBL's whole history here the split is almost level. Chasing sides won five of seven games at the ground in BBL|14, and then batting first won four of six in BBL|15.
Quick verdict
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Batting or bowling? | Leans to the bat; recent first-innings average about 174 |
| Pace or spin? | Seam decided the last Test here; Warne (28) still leads the Test wicket list |
| Bat first or chase? | Close to even: 38 wins batting first, 36 chasing, 1 no result in 75 BBL games |
| Good first-innings score | 185 to 190; three totals of 180-plus were chased in BBL|14 and BBL|15 |
| Highest BBL total | 229/3, Perth Scorchers against the Hurricanes, 1 January 2026 |
| Weather watch | Cool evenings (January mean minimum about 13°C) and long summer twilight |
All BBL numbers below cover games up to the end of BBL|15 in January 2026.
Bellerive, Blundstone Arena or Ninja Stadium?
Bellerive Oval, Blundstone Arena and Ninja Stadium are the same ground. It sits on the eastern shore of the River Derwent in the Hobart suburb of Bellerive, next to Bellerive Beach. Footwear brand Blundstone held the naming rights from 2011 to 2024, and since October 2024 the ground has been Ninja Stadium under a four-year deal. Cricket Australia's international fixture list still calls it Bellerive Oval, Hobart.
Capacity is about 19,500, although some ground records give 20,000 after the Ricky Ponting Stand was added in 2015. The playing field measures about 160 metres by 124 metres. The ground is home to the Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL and WBBL and to Tasmania in first-class cricket. Its record crowd is 18,149, for Hurricanes against Perth Scorchers in January 2016.
Bellerive also hosted the BBL|14 final in January 2025. The Hurricanes chased Sydney Thunder's 182/7 in 14.1 overs to win their first title. Mitchell Owen made 108 from 42 balls, and his 39-ball hundred equalled the fastest century in BBL history.
Hobart's 2026-27 fixtures
BBL|16 runs from 12 December 2026 to the final on Australia Day, 26 January 2027. According to the Hurricanes' BBL|16 schedule, they play four games at Bellerive:
| Date | Fixture | Start (local time) |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 17 Dec 2026 | Hurricanes v Brisbane Heat | 7:15pm |
| Tue 29 Dec 2026 | Hurricanes v Melbourne Stars | 7:15pm |
| Tue 5 Jan 2027 | Hurricanes v Sydney Thunder | 7:15pm |
| Sun 17 Jan 2027 | Hurricanes v Sydney Sixers | 1:40pm |
A fifth home game, against the Adelaide Strikers on 9 January, goes to UTAS Stadium in Launceston. Before the BBL starts, Bellerive hosts the third men's ODI between Australia and England, a day-night game on 18 November 2026, per Cricket Australia's 2026-27 schedule.
Bellerive Oval pitch report: the BBL record
Big totals are common in Hobart. Seven BBL totals of 200 or more have been made here, led by the Scorchers' 229/3 on New Year's Day 2026. On the same list sits the Hurricanes' 209/4 in 19 overs against the Heat in January 2015, the highest successful chase at the ground. Bowlers are not helpless, though. The Melbourne Renegades were bowled out for 60 here in December 2020, and the Sydney Sixers for 111 on New Year's Day 2025.
The last two seasons
| Season | Games at Bellerive | Won batting first | Won chasing | Full 20-over first innings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBL|14 (2024-25) | 7 | 2 | 5 | 154 to 186 |
| BBL|15 (2025-26) | 6 | 4 | 2 | 160 to 229 |
The BBL|15 count includes the Knockout play-off on 21 January 2026, which was cut to 10 overs a side and decided on DLS. The Hurricanes' 114/5 in that game is left out of the first-innings range above.
Three things stand out from those 13 games:
- The home side has dominated. The Hurricanes won all seven of their games at Bellerive in BBL|14, final included, and four of six in BBL|15. That is 11 wins from 13, a small sample but a clear pattern.
- 180 has not been a winning score. The Strikers' 186/5 (January 2025), the Thunder's 182/7 in the final and the Thunder's 180/6 (December 2025) were all chased down.
- The toss trend flipped. In BBL|14 the Hurricanes chased five times. In BBL|15 they won twice defending and twice chasing, while the Scorchers and the Heat both won here batting first.
BBL records at Bellerive
| Record (to January 2026) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Matches | 75 |
| Won batting first / chasing | 38 / 36 (1 no result) |
| Highest total | 229/3, Perth Scorchers v Hurricanes, 1 Jan 2026 |
| Next highest | 212/3, Brisbane Heat v Hurricanes, 3 Jan 2020 |
| Highest successful chase | 209/4 in 19 overs, Hurricanes v Heat, 2 Jan 2015 |
| Lowest total | 60 all out, Melbourne Renegades v Sydney Sixers, 13 Dec 2020 |
| Record crowd | 18,149, Hurricanes v Scorchers, 10 Jan 2016 |
ODIs and T20Is in Hobart
Bellerive has hosted 36 men's ODIs. Sides batting first have won 21, chasing sides 14, and one was tied. The highest total is Sri Lanka's 363/9 against Scotland at the 2015 World Cup. The standout chase came in February 2012, when India reached 321/3 in 36.4 overs against Sri Lanka. The last men's ODI here was in November 2018, when South Africa made 320/5 and beat Australia. The England game in November 2026 will be the first in eight years, so read any old ODI pattern loosely.
The ground has also staged 15 men's T20Is, including nine games at the 2022 T20 World Cup. Australia's 213/4 against England in 2014 and 213/7 against West Indies in 2024 are the highest totals. Most recently, in November 2025, India chased Australia's 186/6 with nine balls to spare.
Test cricket at Bellerive
Hobart has hosted 14 Tests, and Australia have won 10 of them, lost two and drawn two. Shane Warne remains the leading Test wicket-taker at the ground with 28, but the two most recent Tests both featured big batting collapses. In November 2016 South Africa bowled Australia out for 85 on the first day and won by an innings and 80 runs.
The most recent Test was the fifth Ashes Test in January 2022. It moved to Hobart from Perth because of Western Australia's COVID-19 border rules, and it was the first day-night Test at the ground. Australia won by 146 runs inside three days, with England losing their last nine wickets for 42 in the second innings as Australia's seamers shared the wickets. No men's Test has been played here since January 2022, and none is on Cricket Australia's 2026-27 schedule.
Conditions: cool nights, long evenings
Hobart is Australia's southernmost capital, and summer nights are cool. At the Battery Point weather station, January averages a high of 22.7°C and a low of 13.0°C, and December 21.0°C and 11.6°C. That is well below Perth or Melbourne. Hot northerly winds still push the temperature past 35°C in most years, so check the forecast rather than assuming a chilly night.
The other local quirk is daylight. Hobart gets about 15.3 hours of it at the summer solstice, more than any other Australian city. With BBL games starting at 7:15pm, much of the first innings is played in daylight and the chase finishes under lights. Shortened games happen too: the BBL|15 Knockout was cut to 10 overs a side and finished on DLS.
Hobart and the CricGuru prediction
CricGuru's AI prediction and this page do different jobs. A simple way to combine them for a Hurricanes game:
- Get the prediction. Follow BBL|16 fixtures on the live and upcoming matches page, open the Hurricanes match you want, sign in and request it. New accounts start with a few free trial predictions, and paid plans add a daily allowance.
- Read what it is built on. The win probability uses recent form, the head-to-head record, each side's standing in the league table (points per game) and a small home-advantage factor, and an AI-written preview comes with it.
- Add Hobart yourself. Pitch, venue, weather and toss are not model inputs. So the model does not see that 180 has not been enough here lately, or that the Hurricanes won 11 of their 13 home games across BBL|14 and BBL|15, a small sample but worth noting when the prediction is close.
Our guide on whether winning the toss matters helps with the bat-or-chase decision, and how to predict cricket matches covers balancing form against conditions.
FAQ
Does Bellerive Oval favour batters or bowlers?
It leans towards batting. Over BBL|14 and BBL|15, full 20-over first innings averaged about 174, and seven BBL totals of 200-plus have been made here. Bowlers still have their days, though: the Renegades were bowled out for 60 here in December 2020.
What total wins a BBL game in Hobart?
Aim for 185 to 190. Totals of 180, 182 and 186 were all chased down across the last two seasons, while the side batting first won with 161 and 173 in BBL|14.
Is Ninja Stadium the same ground as Blundstone Arena?
Yes. Bellerive Oval was Blundstone Arena under naming rights from 2011 to 2024 and has been Ninja Stadium since October 2024. Cricket Australia's international fixture list still uses Bellerive Oval, Hobart.
Should teams bat or bowl first in Hobart?
There is no strong rule. Across 75 BBL games, batting first has won 38 and chasing 36. Chasers won five of seven in BBL|14, but batting first won four of six in BBL|15.
When did Bellerive Oval last host a Test?
In January 2022, when the fifth Ashes Test moved there from Perth. It was a day-night match and Australia won by 146 runs. Bellerive's next men's international is an ODI against England on 18 November 2026.
The short version for Hobart
Expect a good batting surface, set or chase something close to 190, and give the Hurricanes' recent home record some weight, remembering it covers only 13 games. The BBL|16 calendar takes them to Perth on 20 December, so for a very different kind of pitch, read our Perth Stadium pitch report.