Melbourne Stars vs Brisbane Heat, BIG BASH LEAGUE 2019-20, Today Match Prediction 25 Jan 2020

mls vs brh Match Prediction & Analysis

This is the final league game for the Melbourne Stars and it is a dead rubber. A win or a loss won’t change their position in the points table. It is certain that they will finish at the top. There’s absolutely no doubt that the Stars have been the best team in the competition this season. They have won 10 out of their 13 games. In fact, two out of their three losses have come in the last two games. Be it batting first or second, they’ve done it all. Only in the last couple of games, the Stars have fallen short in their run-chases.

Brisbane Heat’s chances have taken a massive hit after their recent loss against the Sydney Sixers. They have now lost three games in a row and their chances of qualifying for the playoffs are hanging by a thread now. They need to win both their games and also, hope Perth Scorchers and Sydney Thunder lose a game each at least.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Melbourne Stars Preview

It’s largely been about two players in the Melbourne Stars batting line-up. Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell have led the charge with the blade and they’ve done the bulk of the scoring. Stoinis is leading the run charts this season and has the golden cap as well. He has scored 590 runs at an average of 65.55.

On the other hand, Maxwell has made 372 runs at an average of 53.14 and a strike-rate of 156.96. Peter Handscomb and Hilton Cartwright have contributed decently. The farmer who took over the captaincy for one game has amassed 151 runs in seven innings but has remained unbeaten in four of those. Cartwright has been decent at the top of the order as he’s made 230 runs in eight innings. But he was dropped in the last game and Nic Maddinson opened and he hasn’t had a great season.

Hence, Cartwright might slot back in. Apart from the top four, the Stars middle order hasn’t fired. Nick Larkin and Seb Gotch haven’t really scored big. With the ball, it’s the two leg-spinners that have done the damage. Both Adam Zampa and Sandeep Lamichhane looked off-colour last game but they’ve been the pick of the bowlers. Zampa has picked up 10 wickets from eight games while the Nepal leggie has 14 wickets from 12 games. Clint Hinchliffe has done well and has taken eight wickets in as many games and has a good economy rate. The likes of Lance Morris and Daniel Worrall have been far too inconsistent.

Melbourne Stars Predicted Playing XI:

Marcus Stoinis, Hilton Cartwright/Nic Maddinson, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell (c), Nick Larkin, Seb Gotch (wk), Clint Hinchliffe, Adam Zampa, Lance Morris, Daniel Worrall, Sandeep Lamichhane

Melbourne Stars Actual Playing XI:

Nathan Coulter-Nile, Clint Hinchliffe, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa, Sandeep Lamichhane, Glenn Maxwell, Nic Maddinson, Sebastian Gotch, Peter Handscomb, Dilbar Hussain, N Larkin

Brisbane Heat Preview

It’s been the batting that has been a huge disappointment. Despite having some big names and great T20 stars, the Brisbane Heat’s batting line-up has failed big time. In their last three innings, they haven’t gone past 130. Chris Lynn’s form has dipped and hasn’t got runs in the last few games.

Sam Heazlett scored a half-century in one game but hasn’t done much apart from that in the other games. A lot was expected of AB de Villiers but apart from his opening game where he scored 40, the South African star hasn’t really stepped up.

Matt Renshaw has been decent despite being shuffled around the batting order. He has scored 273 runs at a strike-rate of nearly 130. Marnus Labuschagne’s first game of the season wasn’t as expected as he scored just 3. Ben Laughlin has been expensive but he’s been the premier wicket-taker for the Heat. He has taken 14 wickets in this season. James Pattinson has looked in a good rhythm and has picked up seven wickets from four games. Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s inability to pick wickets has hampered the Heat as he is a key part of the bowling attack.

Brisbane Heat Predicted Playing XI:

Chris Lynn (c), Sam Heazlett, Matt Renshaw, AB de Villiers, Marnus Labuschagne, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Ben Cutting, James Pattinson, Mitchell Swepson, Ben Laughlin, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Brisbane Heat Actual Playing XI:

Ben Cutting, AB de Villiers, James Pattinson, Ben Laughlin, Sam Heazlett, Matt Renshaw, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Chris Lynn, Jack Prestwidge, Mitchell Swepson, Marnus Labuschagne

Weather Conditions

It is expected to be a clear evening in Melbourne. The temperatures will range between 20 and 23 degrees during the game with humidity varying between 60 to 70%. There are absolutely no chances of rain as well. Meanwhile, the pitch is expected to be a good one to bat on but might take some turn as well.

Venue Details

The historic Melbourne Cricket Ground is one of the most iconic venues in world cricket. It can host a crowd of 100,000 and the atmosphere is electric. The Melbourne Stars have used the home advantage really well and have won all their games at this venue in this 2019-20 season.

Toss: To Bowl

The MCG has been a venue where teams have wanted to chase in the recent past. In fact, this season, teams winning the toss have opted to field first in three out of the four games. Hence, it may not be any different this time around either. Both Melbourne Stars and Brisbane Heat may want to bowl first.