Jan 15: Melbourne Stars vs Adelaide Strikers, Melbourne
Pro Tip: The Stars are heavily reliant on Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis now that they are missing few players. However, multiple Strikers players have performed well, with four distinct Man-of-the-Match award winners so far. So make sure you pick enough players from Strikers.
Our XI: Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Nic Maddinson, Alex Carey, Harris Rauf, Jonathan Wells, Jake Weatherald, Daniel Worrall, Wes Agar, Danny Briggs, Adam Zampa
Substitutes: Hilton Cartwright, Liam Hatcher, Phil Salt, Matt Renshaw
Player Availability: Rashid Khan will not be available for the Strikers for the rest of the season due to national commitments. The Stars’ Nicholas Pooran will also be not available for the rest of the season.
We might not always be able to tip you off about late injury (or other relevant) updates, so please finalise your team after the toss.
Captain: Marcus Stoinis
Last season’s highest scorer Stoinis has been continuing his fine form in this season too by top scoring for his side with 277 runs at a strike rate of 160.11. Though he missed a couple of games for them this season, his last three scores of 97*, 34 and 47 suggest he is back in form. Stoinis has got 737 runs at an average of 38.78 at the MCG.
Vice-captain: Glenn Maxwell
After a couple of consecutive ducks, the Stars’ captain Maxwell is due for a big knock. He showed his batting prowess earlier in the season, accumulating 255 runs in eight innings at an average of 36.42. He is also the highest run-scorer at this venue with 755 runs at a strike rate of 142.99.
Hot Picks
Alex Carey: The Strikers’ leading run-scorer this season with 279 runs in eight games, Carey is a consistent player. His last few scores against the Stars are 59*, 30, 45, 33 and 21. Carey has also effected ten dismissals behind the stumps this season, something which will give you additional points.
Wes Agar: The second-highest wicket-taker in this edition of BBL, Agar has impressed everyone with his wicket-taking abilities. He has picked up 17 wickets in ten games at an average of 16.88. He has been especially prolific in the middle overs, with 11 wickets at an average of 14.09.
Adam Zampa: Zampa has bowled extremely well and in his last six games, has picked up 12 wickets. Among the current bowlers, nobody has picked up more wickets than him at the MCG, with 25 wickets in 19 games. He has not gone wicketless in his last nine outings here.
Differential Picks
Harris Rauf: Rauf has been a top performer for the Stars, picking up 21 wickets in just 12 games including a hat-trick against Sydney Thunder. In the four games he has played at this venue, he has picked up eight wickets.
Jonathan Wells: After some successful seasons with the Strikers, a lot was expected from Wells this time too. But he has scored only 204 runs in ten games so far. However, the MCG is likely to assist his batting style, as it has long boundaries with opportunities for running twos.
Alternate Scenarios