The first BBL game of Sunday’s double header sees a huge clash in the harbour city between the Sixers and the Hurricanes. Three straight wins saw the Sixers jump into the top four, and a win over the ladder leaders would just about sew up a finals berth. Jack Tobing brings you his best bets for the clash below!
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Big Bash League (BBL15) Sixers vs Hurricanes Betting Tips
SCG, Sunday 11th January, 2:05pm AEDT
Sydney Sixers
The Sixers are hitting form at the right time of the season, with a third straight win seeing them in fourth place at the time of writing. The six wicket win over the Stars on Thursday was built on the back of another excellent bowling performance from the team in magenta. Outside of Sam Curran (0/31), the entire Sixers attack strangled the Stars, bowling them out for 128 in the 20th over. Ben Dwarshuis (4/13) and Joel Davies (2/15) both went under four an over in their spells, while Jack Edwards continued his strong season with 3/27.
The batting wasn’t perfect, but the Sixers were in control the entire way as they wrapped up the chase with 17 balls to spare. Josh Philippe got the Sixers ahead of the required rate with 35 off 25, while youngster Lachie Shaw put the finishing touches with 24 not out off 14. Babar Azam’s lean run continued, dismissed for 14 off 17, the fifth time in seven games the Pakistani has been dismissed for under 15. He has also failed to score at a strike rate above 100 in five of his seven innings this season, if the Sixers are to contend for the title, they need Babar to lift.
After struggling to start the season, the Sixers bowled attack has bounced back in a big way. At the time of writing, Jack Edwards is the leading wicket taker with 14 wickets at an average of 13.50, Ben Dwarshius is 5th with 11 wickets and Joel Davies is ranked 8th with 10 wickets. There will be a big watch on if Mitchell Starc and Steve Smith line up for the Sixers against the Hurricanes, however it’s more likely they will come into the side in their following game against the Thunder.
Hobart Hurricanes
Note: This was written before the Hurricanes played the Strikers
The Hurricanes have had another quality campaign after winning the title last season and are in the box seat to secure top spot on the table. Two wins from their final three games against the Strikers, Sixers and Heat should secure top spot and two home finals at Ninja Stadium, where they have a great record. If the Hurricanes can secure top spot, they are going to be incredibly difficult to knock off in the finals.
Nathan Ellis is ranked eighth amongst the leading wicket takers with 10 wickets, Rishad Hossain is 16th with 8 wickets and Chris Jordan is ranked 18th with 7 wickets. Hossain has been particularly impressive in his first Big Bash season, producing some high quality leg spin at an excellent economy of just 7.80. His height and speed have troubled many batters this season, and he has been a huge x-factor for the defending champions.
Nikhil Chaudhary’s breakout campaign has led the way for the Canes with the bat, scoring 240 runs at average of 40 with a strike rate of 160, to be the fourth highest run scorer this season. Ben McDermott is the eighth leading run scorer with 193 runs despite a recent form slump, while Tim Ward has burst onto the scene with scores of 90, 27 and 30 in his last three games.
Match Prediction
Although the Sixers are in great form, the Hurricanes have put together a much better body of work across the entirety of the season. The big difference between the two sides is the strength in the batting and the ability of the Hurricanes to strike at a higher rate than the Sixers. The Sixers only have one score above 169 this season, while the Hurricanes have three scores above 180, including scores of 207 (in 17.5 overs) and 189 in their last two games. The Hurricanes have five batsmen who are striking at above 145 this season, highlighting the power in their batting unit.
The Hurricanes won both of their meetings against the Sixers last season, and they look primed to continue their strong record against them. They’ve been much more convincing in their wins compared to the Sixers, and should be well rested having played only 2 games in the eight days leading up to this match.
Hobart Hurricanes to Win
$2.05 (1 Unit)
Sixers vs Hurricanes Prop Bet
Nikhil Chaudhary has been outstanding this season, scoring 241 runs at an average of 40. Chaudhary has been very consistent this season, with scores of 41, 7, 79, 34, 19, 31 and 29*. Chaudhary has shown some form against the Sixers before, scoring 42 against them in the regular season last year. Chaudhary is in excellent touch and looks set for another big score.
Nikhil Chaudhary, Hurricanes Top Bat
$7.50
