A crucial clash in the makeup of the top four takes place in the BBL on Thursday as the third placed Stars take on the fourth placed Sixers. The Stars are sliding while the Sixers are hitting form - this game will have big ramifications in the finals race! Catch our full preview and betting tips below.
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Big Bash League (BBL15) Stars vs Sixers Betting Tips
MCG, Thursday 8th January, 7:15pm AEDT
Melbourne Stars
After a 4-0 start where they looked almost unbeatable, the Stars have had two dramatic defeats against opposition in the bottom half of the table. The Stars looked set for victory when the Renegades required 22 off 9 deliveries with two new batsmen at the crease. However Haris Rauf went for eight off the last three balls of the second last over, and Marcus Stoinis was taken to the cleaners in the final over, conceding 16 off just 5 balls.
The Stars had a horror night in the field dropping crucial catches which allowed Josh Brown to peel off a big score, in what was an un-Stars like performance. Marcus Stoinis (economy of 12), Haris Rauf (11) and Peter Siddle (9.75) were all expensive, in what has been an issue in their two losses. Mitch Swepson kept the Stars in the game with 1/20 off his four overs, including the key wicket of Josh Brown.
The Stars performance with the bat on Sunday was their worst of the season, but they still managed to get to a score of 173. The top three of Tom Rogers (15), Sam Harper (20) and Campbell Kellaway (33) all got starts but couldn’t kick on, while Glenn Maxwell (1) and Marcus Stoinis (16) had no impact. The Stars fell to 7/126 in the 16th over, but some brilliant late hitting from Tom Curran (38 off 18) and Hilton Cartwright (28 off 19) got the Stars to a decent total.
Sydney Sixers
The Sixers got out of jail in Coffs Harbour to move into the top four, recovering from 7/58 to chase down the Heat’s target of 115 with eight balls to spare. Joel Davies (35* off 26) and Hayden Kerr (27* off 25) were the heroes with the bat, and the fact they had Sean Abbott and Ben Dwarshuis below them to bat, highlights how incredible the Sixers batting depth is.
The Sixers produced a dominant performance with the ball to bowl the Heat out for 114. Five out of the six bowlers used took a wicket, with only one bowler going at an economy rate above 6.25. Joel Davies (2/19), Ben Dwarshuis (2/25) and Sean Abbott (2/25) were the multiple wicket takers, while Hayden Kerr was brilliant with 1/12 off three overs. The Sixers bowled a mind blowing 48 dot balls.
The Sixers turnaround in form has been built off their bowlers, with the Sixers now having four bowlers in the top 22 wicket takers. Jack Edwards is second in the competition for wickets (12 at an average of 14.72), Joel Davies is 13th with 8 wickets at 11, Ben Dwarshuis is 15th with 7 wickets and Sean Abbott is 22nd with 6 wickets.
Match Prediction
This is a massive clash between two quality sides, who are trending in different directions. Although the Stars took care of the Sixers earlier in the season, the Sixers have certainly had the wood over the Stars, winning 11 of the last 13 games between the two sides. The Sixers depth with the bat has a great opportunity to expose the Stars struggles with the ball in the latter part of the innings.
The big concern for the Stars is that the two games that they have played in that have been close, they have lost. They are an excellent side when they have the game on their terms, but if the Sixers get off to a hot start, it’s going to put the Stars under a mountain of pressure. If the Sixers batting unit gets going on a good surface at the MCG, they should win this game.
Sydney Sixers to Win
$2.10 (1 Unit)
BBL Stars vs Sixers Prop Bet
Joel Davies is having a breakout campaign with bat and ball, playing a huge role in the Sixers momentum swing. Davies has had a great season with the ball, producing returns of 1/3, 3/24, 2/16, 0/26 and 2/19. Davies is averaging 11 with an economy rate of just 5.50, with his ability to keep scoring tight generating plenty of pressure on batsmen that leads to wickets.
Joel Davies: Sixers Top Bowler
$6.50
