The Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Stars have both struggled in the opening rounds of BBL13, but both will have the opportunity to score a second win when they face off on Thursday night.
National stars Glenn Maxwell and Matthew Wade will represent the Stars and Hurricanes, respectively, so expect plenty of fireworks at Blundstone Arena.
We'll have a heap of BBL13 content for you this season including BBL tips for every match and regular fantasy BBL for contests on Draftstars to help you land the big cash in the $50,000 Big Bash Star 2024 Final!
Draftstars have put up a huge $20,000 contest for this clash, as well as a Big Bash Star Qualifier.
Additionally, make sure to check out our full Hurricanes vs Stars preview and betting tips!
BIG BASH LEAGUE (BBL13) FANTASY TIPS: HURRICANES VS STARS
Hurricanes Squad: Nathan Ellis, Corey Anderson, Ian Carlisle, Nikhil Chaudhary, Tim David, Patrick Dooley, Liam Guthrie, Sam Hain, Peter Hatzoglou, Sam Heazlett, Caleb Jewell, Chris Jordan, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Billy Stanlake, Matthew Wade, Mac Wright
Stars Squad: Tom Rogers, Sam Harper, Joel Paris, Imad Wasim, Jono Merlo, Marcus Stoinis, Usama Mir, Beau Webster, Glenn Maxwell, Hilton Cartwright, Nick Larkin, Mark Steketee, Corey Rocchiccioli, Haris Rauf
The Hurricanes opened their account in BBL13 with a win over the Melbourne Renegades on Saturday evening, storming home by six wickets on the back of a clinical batting performance.
Matthew Wade (82 off 50) and Mac Wright (63 off 36) led the way for the Hurricanes, re-energising a top order that has otherwise failed to fire thus far.
It was a significant win in the context of Hobart’s campaign, and they will desperate to notch up another home win against the lowly Stars.
Speaking of the Stars, the men in green also scored their first win on Tuesday night, injecting life into their season.
Overseas recruits Usama Mir and Haris Rauf both took three wickets as Melbourne restricted the Sixers to 154, before Hilton Cartwright saved the day with 47 off 30 balls to guide the Stars home with three balls to spare.
Both Mir and Rauf will leave the Stars camp to represent Pakistan after this game, so I expect both to bring their A-game on Thursday night.
Fantasy Plays
Love It – Matthew Wade ($18,900)
Hobart’s experienced keeper demonstrated what he is capable of against the Renegades, smashing 82 off 50 deliveries to tally a whopping 139 DFS points. It’s the kind of performance that I expect to see a few times from Wade this BBL, considering the exceptional form he displayed for the national side in India. The Stars hardly have an outstanding bowling outfit, so Wade has the chance to go big again.
Love It – Imad Wasim ($10,500)
Wasim has come into the Stars side as a genuine all-rounder, batting in the middle order and bowling overs throughout the innings. While the Pakistani import only managed 27.5 DFS points in his first match, the role is there for him to score big, and that’s enough for me to take the plunge at only $10.5k.
Don’t Love It – Marcus Stoinis ($17,400)
Stoinis has been way off the boil in this BBL, averaging just 21 DFS points over four matches. Despite holding the reputation as one of the BBL’s most fearsome hitters, Stoinis has struggled to get the ball off the square, leading to poor returns with the bat. Furthermore, Stoinis does not have a consistent bowling role, so the price is way too high until he finds some form.
Don’t Love It – Macalister Wright ($14,500)
Hear me out. Yes, Wright was in destructive touch the other night, smashing 63 off 36 balls. However, with Ben McDermott likely returning to the XI, Wright’s role for this fixture is unclear. Furthermore, Wright’s price is now pushing $15k, up with some of the more decorated players on this slate. For those reasons, I’ll be fading Wright on this slate.
Who Knows – Glenn Maxwell ($22,500)
We are yet to see the best of Maxwell in BBL13, the superstar all-rounder struggling to make an impact over the opening few rounds. The Stars have a slew of bowling options, so Maxi has had to make do with playing as a batsman. Should that continue, he will struggle to produce big DFS numbers regularly, but surely a batting breakthrough is around the corner.
Suggested Draftstars Line-up
