Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars Preview & Prediction | BBL|14 | Knockout
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David Warner’s Sydney Thunder face Melbourne Stars for the right to move onwards into the Challenger.
Date & time: Wednesday January 22nd 2025: USA PT – 12:30am / USA ET – 3:30am / UK – 8:30am
Venue: Engie Stadium, Sydney, Australia
Weather: Dry, but cloudy with strong winds and temperatures of 23c.
How to watch: USA – Willow TV / UK – Sky Sports & Sky Go / Australia – Seven Network, Foxtel & Kayo Sports
How to get tickets for BBL|14: Click here for the latest ticket information for Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars
Sydney Thunder Preview: Warner leads bounce-back season
There was plenty of excitement coming into this season for Sydney Thunder with the availability of David Warner for the entire tournament, not to mention his appointment as captain. The first time the former Australian captain was allowed to hold a leadership role was always going to come under the microscope, but Warner has shown his qualities both as a batter and a leader.
The Thunder won four of their first five games, which laid the foundations for a successful league stage campaign. Whilst the horrific collision between Daniel Sams and Cameron Bancroft sidelined the pair, along with injuries to both Tanveer Sangha and Jason Sangha, they still did enough to finish in third-place.
Melbourne Stars Preview: A tale of two halves
Things were looking historically horrific for Melbourne Stars after the first half of BBL 14. Five defeats in a row had them bottom the table and without a point to their name. But a long-awaited victory over reigning champions Brisbane Heat led to a remarkable turnaround as the Stars went on to win each of their remaining four games, ending the second half of the campaign with a 100% record.
It was win or bust for Marcus Stoinis’ men against table toppers Hobart Hurricanes in their final league match and the hosts got the job done at the MCG. Glenn Maxwell’s fireworks with the bat, followed by Mark Steketee’s four-wicket-haul led the Stars to a 40-run win, guaranteeing a fourth-place finish.
Sydney Thunder Betting Analysis
We simply must focus attention on Warner when it comes to the players who offer the best chance of success from a betting point of view. He is the current second-highest run-scorer of BBL 14 with 346 across nine innings, only 5 behind Perth’s Cooper Connolly at the top of the tree. A crunch knockout tie like this should see Warner laser-focused and at his best, so consider backing him to finish as the Thunder’s top batter.
Melbourne Stars Betting Analysis
One of the notable causes of Melbourne Stars’ remarkable turnaround has been Glenn Maxwell’s batting pyrotechnics. The Australian white ball star has long been known as one of the biggest six-hitters in the game and his 26 maximums over the course of just eight games is more than any other player in BBL 14. Explore a stake on Maxwell not only to hit over 1.5 match sixes here, but also to record the most match sixes of any player in this match.
Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars Expert Prediction
Sydney Thunder have been the more consistent team during this BBL 14 season and the results reflect that, as does their standing in the table. However, the power of momentum can so often render consistency as meaningless, especially in a T20 tournament such as this which involves knockout cricket.
Melbourne Stars come into this game not only on the back of a five-game winning streak, but having already competed in what was essentially a knockout fixture from their perspective away at Hobart this past weekend and securing victory comprehensively. Against a patched-up Thunder team, they are well-placed to extend their winning streak and move on into the Challenger.
Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars Top Tip: Melbourne Stars to win
