The Melbourne Stars kick off their campaign on Thursday night when they host the defending champions, the Hobart Hurricanes, at the MCG. Can the Hurricanes make it two from two? Or will the Stars get on the board in BBL15? Check out our preview and betting tips for the clash below!
BBL15 Stars vs Hurricanes Betting Tips
MCG, Thursday 18th December, 7:15pm AEDT
Melbourne Stars
Squad: Austin Anlezark, Scott Boland, Hilton Cartwright, Joe Clarke, Tom Curran, Sam Harper, Liam Hatcher, Campbell Kellaway, Glenn Maxwell, Hamish McKenzie, Jonathan Merlo, Haris Rauf, Tom Rogers, Peter Siddle, Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Swepson, Tom Whitney, Aryan Sharma
The Stars have kept the majority of the side from BBL14, where they made the Finals for the first time since BBL09. The Stars have kept their three overseas players in Joe Clarke, Tom Curran and Haris Rauf, giving them some good continuity. As it was last season, the top end talent is there for the Stars, but will their depth hold up against the best teams?
Mark Steketee has been ruled out for the season in a big blow to the Stars pace stocks, with Haris Rauf, Tom Curran and Liam Hatcher having to take on a bigger load. Veteran Peter Siddle will provide some handy cameos, while youngster Tom Whitney will be one to keep an eye on. The acquisition of Mitch Swepson gives the Stars a quality spinner after Adam Zampa left at the end of BBL13, which was something the Stars desperately needed.
With the bat a lot of reliance will be on the trio of Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Joe Clarke. In BBL14 Maxwell scored 325 runs at an average of 54, while Stoinis scored 311 runs at 28. No other Stars player that is on the list this season, scored more than 155 runs last season. Sam Harper (153 runs at 13.90) and Tom Rogers (46 runs at 5) need to provide a massive lift after horrendous campaigns in BBL14.
Hobart Hurricanes
Squad: Rehan Ahmed, Marcus Bean, Jackson Bird, Iain Carlisle, Nikhil Chaudhary, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Rishad Hossain, Chris Jordan, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Billy Stanlake, Matthew Wade, Tim Ward, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster, Mac Wright, Will Prestwidge
The Hurricanes got off to a good start in their season opener on Tuesday, defeating the Thunder by four wickets. The scoreline doesn’t read as dominant as the Hurricanes were, who were well in control for the entirety of the chase. Mitch Owen got the defending champs off to a flyer (32 off 14) while Nikhil Chaudhary impressed in his first match as an opener, scoring 41.
Ben McDermott provided plenty of power in the middle order with 38 off 24, while Tim David went at a strike rate of 188. If the Hurricanes can convert some of their starts into scores, they are going to be tough to beat on Thursday.
With the ball, the Hurricanes were excellent early but struggled at the death. At the ten over mark the Thunder were 4/79, with Chris Jordan and Billy Stanlake doing the damage early. The Hurricanes conceded 101 runs off the final ten overs, which made the chase bigger than what it should have been. Rishad Hossain and Rehan Ahmed should play a bigger role in this fixture than they did on Tuesday.
Match Prediction
It’s a well drilled team full of contributors against a side that is top heavy and relies on their top end talent to win games. The Hurricanes power in their batting looms as a major advantage against a Stars bowling attack that has plenty of question marks surrounding it. The Stars have been slow starters in previous seasons, losing their first five games last season, they lost first 3 in BBL13 and four of their first five in BBL12. Having already played a game will be an advantage for the Hurricanes, who will be too strong for the Stars.
Hobart Hurricanes to Win
$1.83 (1.5 Units)
BBL Stars vs Hurricanes Prop Bet
Glenn Maxwell loves playing against the Hurricanes, scoring 624 runs against the Canes - the most of any player in games between the Stars and Hobart. Those 624 runs have come at an average of 70.44 and a strike rate of 186.47. Maxwell’s last four innings against the defending champions have seen him score 76*, 32, 35* and 154*.
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Maxwell (or Clarke) - Top Run Scorer
$4.50
