Friday night cricket at the SCG delivers a Boxing Day blockbuster as the Sydney Sixers host the Melbourne Stars, with both sides rolling in after emphatic wins. The Sixers finally clicked in all facets last time out, while the Stars have started the season with ruthless efficiency. With confidence high on both sides and the SCG expected to play true, this shapes as one of the early games of the tournament.
Big Bash League (BBL15) Sixers vs Stars Betting Tips
SCG, Friday 26th December, 6.05pm AEDT
Sydney Sixers
The Sixers arrive buoyed by a dominant 47 run win over the Thunder, a performance that looked far closer to their ceiling. Batting first, they piled on 5 for 198 with Josh Philippe producing a sublime 96 off 57 balls at the top, while Babar Azam snapped his early season struggles with a fluent 58 off 42. It was the kind of controlled aggression the Sixers had been missing and finally gave their bowling something to work with.
With the ball, Sydney were excellent. They bowled the Thunder out for 151, with youngster Jack Edwards stealing the show in a career defining spell of 5 for 26 from four overs. That breakthrough performance adds another genuine wicket taking option to their attack, though they will be without Todd Murphy after his call up to the Test squad. Even so, confidence is high and the Sixers will back their depth and familiarity with SCG conditions to carry momentum forward.
Melbourne Stars
The Stars continued their perfect start to the season on Tuesday night, moving to 2 and 0 with a comfortable win over the Strikers. Bowling first, Tom Curran set the tone early before Haris Rauf turned up the heat, with the pair taking three wickets apiece to restrict Adelaide to 8 for 155. It was another disciplined display that underlined how well balanced this Stars bowling unit looks early in the campaign.
Chasing the target, the Stars were again composed. Wicketkeeper Sam Harper played the leading role with a brisk 55 off 36 at the top, while Marcus Stoinis backed up his strong start to the season with 32 off 22 to guide the chase home with 11 balls to spare. Importantly, Melbourne are not dealing with the same international availability issues as some rivals, allowing them to field a settled and familiar XI once again.
Match Prediction
This shapes as a high quality contest between two in form sides, and the SCG should provide a fair test for both batting and bowling. The Sixers will take plenty of confidence from their most complete performance of the season and from finally getting Babar Azam firing alongside Philippe at the top.
However, the Stars hold a subtle but important edge. Their squad continuity early in the season has allowed their bowling unit to build rhythm, and the absence of Todd Murphy slightly dents Sydney’s middle overs control. With multiple wicket takers and reliable contributors throughout the order, Melbourne look well placed to keep rolling. The lean is Stars to move to 3 and 0, continuing their strong start behind another disciplined bowling performance.
Stars to win
$1.93 (1 Unit)
BBL Scorchers vs Hurricanes Prop Bet
Marcus Stoinis to score 25+ runs profiles as a strong player prop on Friday night given his red hot start to the season and a favourable matchup. He is unbeaten in both of his innings so far, blasting 62 not out and 32 not out to underline both form and confidence, and he has a proven record against the Sixers, averaging 33.25 across 14 innings. Batting in a role that allows him to assess conditions before accelerating, Stoinis looks well placed to again play a decisive hand and clear a modest runs line if he gets any sort of platform at the SCG.
