A devastating collapse in the BBL08 final cost the Melbourne Stars a maiden BBL title and they’ll be out for revenge in BBL09! They’ve added some firepower to their bowling lineup and should be a strong unit once again this season. We take a look at the Stars in our full 2019-20 Big Bash League team preview below!
Catch our other team previews here!
Melbourne Stars Team Preview
Last Season: 4th (Runners-Up)
Current Squad (18): Hilton Cartwright, Jackson Coleman, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Ben Dunk, Seb Gotch, Peter Handscomb, Clint Hinchliffe, Sandeep Lamichhane (Afghanistan), Nick Larkin, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Jonathan Merlo, Lance Morris, Tom O’Connell, Dale Steyn (South Africa, first six games), Marcus Stoinis, Daniel Worrall, Adam Zampa
In: Dale Steyn (South Africa), Hilton Cartwright (Scorchers), Nathan Coulter-Nile (Scorchers), Clint Hinchliffe (Scorchers)
Out: Dwayne Bravo (retired), Jackson Bird (Sixers), Liam Plunkett (England), Scott Boland (Hurricanes), Michael Beer, Liam Bowe, Travis Dean, Evan Gulbis
Batting
A lot hinges on Glenn Maxwell after his mental health break and hopefully for all cricket fans, he returns with a bang in the BBL. He’s one of the most dangerous t20 players in the world and will be a huge key in the Stars returning to the finals. One of the main reasons for their BBL08 success was Marcus Stoinis after he amassed 533 runs, which placed him third in the league. Nic Maddinson is another batsman to watch if he gets going and looking at his Shield form, hopefully that translates into the shorter form. They also have quite good batting depth with Handscomb, the addition of Cartwright and Gotch can provide late order hitting.
Bowling
The Stars have lost a wealth of experience in the bowling department with the likes of Bravo, Bird, Plunkett, Beer and Boland missing from last year’s squad. But it’s going to be exciting times for Melbourne fans in the first 6 games as one of the great fast bowlers of the modern generation in Dale Steyn takes the new ball. When Steyn leaves after 6 games, Daniel Worrall can be a dangerous swing bowler with the new pill. Another fine addition will be Coulter-Nile as he can take the new ball, bowl at the death and also provides late order hitting when required. Young leggie Sandeep Lamichhane has signed on for the whole season and he’ll likely form a deadly combination with Zampa. With Maxwell able to bowl 2-4 overs and Stoinis’ partnership braking ability, the Stars still look capable of taking 10 wickets every game.
Best XI
1. Dunk
2. Maddinson
3. Maxwell
4. Handscomb
5. Stoinis
6. Cartwright
7. Gotch
8. Coulter-Nile
9. Steyn/Worrall (When Steyn leaves)
10. Lamichhane
11. Zampa
Prediction: 3rd
The Stars have a number of match-winners in their squad which makes them a dangerous side to play in BBL09. They should also be extra motivated after losing the final last season and we can see them reaching the top 4 once again.
Nic Maddinson top STARS batsman
$5.00
Sandeep Lamichhane top STARS bowler
$2.25
