BBL 12, Stars vs Thunder: Preview, Prediction and Fantasy Tips

Melbourne Stars (Source: Twitter)

We head to the iconic 'G', the Melbourne Cricket Ground where the home side Melbourne Stars are welcoming Sydney Thunder in match number 56 of the Big Bash League.

The points table is all but heated up with some of the best sides facing stiff competition and as things stand Thunder are in do-or-die situation with just one match remaining. With 12 points, they are placed fifth after having won six matches out of 13 with a Net Run Rate that is in a minus state.

On the flip side, the Stars are eliminated given their last position on the table with just 6 points they earned after winning three matches from their thirteen. They would be relying on Joe Clarke, Beau Webster, Thomas Rogers and Adam Zampa whereas Daniel Sams, David Warner, Matthew Gilkes and Oliver Davies would be leading their side Thunder in this clash.

In their last respective encounters, the Melbourne-based side were defeated at the hands of Brisbane Heat and conversely, Sydney Sixers got better off Thunder by a massive margin of 125 runs.

Match Details

Date and Time: January 25, 01:45 PM IST
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Live Streaming: Sony Sports Network and Sony Liv

Pitch Report: The pitch is expected to be a good one for batting as the scores suggest 160 could be on the cards. Teams winning the toss could be prompted to bowl first as chasing is relatively easier on this ground. On the weather front, things don't look as promising because there is around 98% chance of rain with the temperature staying at 17 degrees celsius.

Predicted XIs

Melbourne Stars: Joe Clarke (wk), Thomas Rogers, Campbell Kellaway, Marcus Stoinis, Hilton Cartwright, Beau Webster, Nick Larkin, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Luke Wood, Liam Hatcher, Adam Zampa (c)

Sydney Thunder: Matthew Gilkes (wk), David Warner, Blake Nikitaras, Oliver Davies, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Ben Cutting, Jason Sangha, Chris Green (c), Gurinder Sandhu, Usman Qadir

Cricket Exchange Fantasy Tips

Wicket-keepers: Joe Clarke, Matthew Gilkes
Batters: Hilton Cartwright, Thomas Rogers, Alex Ross, Oliver Davies
All-Rounders: Beau Webster, Daniel Sams
Bowlers: Luke Wood, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Green

Captain: Joe Clarke
Vice Captain: Daniel Sams

Prediction

With some better performances, Thunder are looking like the favourites as they possess a better line-up which could dominate the opposition in this encounter. Hence, Sydney Thunder are likely to win.

Also Read: BBL 12, Hurricanes vs Heat: Preview, Prediction and Fantasy Tips