Both the Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers aren't expected to feature atop the BBL09 standings this season so a first-up win will be crucial in proving the doubters wrong as they face eachother oon night two of the season.
Sydney will obviously miss Steve Smith/Nathan "Goat" Lyon from their best 11 but that has been the case for a few seasons. Their squad has a similar feel to last season with a good balance between bat and ball. It's a different story for the Scorchers as they've lost a wealth of experience. Marsh went to the Renegades and Coulter-Nile/Cartwright both signed with the Stars. Their bowling lineup has also taken another hit with injuries to Behrendorff and Tye. But in good news, Mitch Marsh is healthy and they've added two solid English players in Livingstone and Jordan.
Sydney Sixers squad (13): Sean Abbott, Tom Curran, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Mickey Edwards, Moises Henriques (c), Dan Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Ben Manenti, Steve O'Keefe, Josh Philippe, Jordan Silk, James Vince
Perth Scorchers squad (13): Mitch Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Fawad Ahmed, Cam Bancroft, Cam Green, Josh Inglis, Chris Jordan, Matt Kelly, Liam Livingstone, Joel Paris, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Sam Whiteman,
Sixers vs Scorchers Betting Tips
Sixers
Starting with the Sixers batting, the key will be getting through the powerplay without losing early wickets. So Daniel Hughes is an important opener and he'll likely partner with young star Josh Phillippe. But if wickets do fall early, the form of Moises Henriques is a huge positive. He's coming off an impressive century at this venue against QLD and after an inconsistent BBL08, he'll be looking for a huge score here. They'll also look to the experienced English pair of Vince/Curran in those crucial moments. While in the bowling department, Abbott is always a dangerous wicket-taker and he's been rewarded with a trip to India in the upcoming ODI series. Steve O'Keefe dominated with a man of the match performance in the Sixers first-up win against Perth last year as well. Ultimately, Henriques is good value to score over 30 runs considering his hundred at the SCG on Dec 7.
Scorchers
It's a tough ask for the Scorchers first up on the road but they do have plenty of match winners. Cam Bancroft has struggled in the Shield but did record 87 not out against the Sixers last time out. Mitch Marsh and Ashton Turner provide the experience in the middle order and the ability to take the game away from any side. They've also signed Liam Livingstone from Lancashire and he can hit a ball. However, their bowling is a real issue without the likes of Tye and Behrenorff on the sidelines so taking 10 wickets could be an issue. So the pressure will be on Richardson and Kelly to get early wickets. As well as Chris Jordan's yorker ball and Fawad Ahmed/Agar in the spin department. In the Scorchers 2 games against the Sixers last season, Turner dominated with 109 total runs with scores of 60 and 49. So a total of 20.5 runs seems low.
Turner OVER 20.5 Runs
$1.88
Prediction
Sydney should be really confident of opening the season with a win on their home turf at the SCG. They beat the Scorchers in Round 1 last season by 17 runs and have a much more settled lineup compared to Perth. So we find the underdog odds for the home team to be very enticing.
