We have reached Round 5 which is the halfway point of BBL06 and I must say that I am very shocked at the way it has all unfolded so far. I picked the Heat and Sixers to be well out of contention this year, and they sit second and third respectively at the beginning of round five. The Strikers, who were one of my picks to have a great season are second last on the table with just one win from their four matches. While I’d like to change a few of my picks in hindsight, I am sticking with the Melbourne Stars to win it all, having only played two games so far, I’m still quietly confident that they can get it done on the big stage!
Round five starts Thursday and offers up some great matchups, headlined by the Renegades vs Stars on Saturday night in what I am henceforth dubbing the ‘Mel-Classico’, partly because of the ‘Mel’ in Melbourne, but also as a tribute to Mel McLaughlin. Come back Mel, he’s gone now. We preview the ‘Mel-Classico’ plus the rest of the games in our BBL06 Round 5 Preview and Betting Tips below.
BBL06 Round 5 Betting Tips
Perth Scorchers vs Brisbane Heat (Thursday 5th, 7.10pm AEDT)
The Scorchers are where they feel most comfortable after four rounds of BBL06, at the top of the ladder. It seems the loss of cult hero Brad Hogg hasn’t affected them in the slightest as they continue to go about their merry way, wining 3 out of 4 games so far this season. They will be coming up against 2nd place on the ladder, the Brisbane Heat, who’s batting lineup has surely given a few bowlers nightmares in the past few weeks.
Funnily enough, both of these teams only loss came at the hands of the Sydney Sixers, who were able to corral the dynamic batting lineups of both the Scorchers and the Heat with strong bowling performances. The tournaments leading run scorer, Chris Lynn could be an injury concern for the Heat. He left the Heat’s last game against the Sixers early in the second innings with a shoulder injury that he apparently brought into the match. The loss of Lynn would drastically decrease the Heats chances of winning this match. While they do have a strong batting lineup from 1-5, Lynn is the centerpiece of the lineup and usually if he goes cheaply, the Heat lose.
In this case, the uncertainty of Lynn just makes me like the Scorchers more to walk away with this one. They love playing at home and rarely lose in what has been dubbed ‘The Furnace’. The bouncy wicket the WACA ground staff like to produce suits the likes of Andrew Tye, Mitchell Johnson and David Willey and I’m backing the Scorchers batting lineup to have enough firepower to get them over the line.
TIP: Scorchers to Win - $1.70 at CrownBet
Adelaide Strikers vs Hobart Hurricanes (Friday 6th, 7.10pm AEDT)
The Strikers and Hurricanes will play off in the second game of the round, both needing a win to really make that playoffs push going into the second half of the season. The Hurricanes sit in 5th position with 2 wins from their 4 games while the Strikers sit in 7th, above only the Thunder with only 1 win from their 4 games.
The Hurricanes have been carried by the dominated batting performances of skipper opening batsman Tim Paine and D’Arcy Short, but I’ve said it plenty of times, you only need one standout performance to win a T20 game, and that’s what the Hurricanes have gotten in their two wins. Stuard Broad also bowled exceptionally in the Hurricanes win over the Strikers when the teams faced off in round four.
Game one of this series went according to play and saw the home team win comfortably, I think game two goes the same way, with Adelaide taking the prize at home to square the series and move level with Hobart on the ladder.
TIP: Adelaide Strikers to Win - $1.85 at CrownBet
Melbourne Renegades vs Melbourne Stars (Saturday 7th, 7.10pm AEDT)
The second edition of Mel-Classico for the season will see the Renegades host at Etihad Stadium. Plans are to install an American style jumbotron in the middle of the field hanging from the roof for the game, so that should be exciting. The Renegades took out the first derby in a rain effected match as Brad Hogg was once again the star of the show claiming 3-22. Cam White looks to have stumbled into some form with a much needed 64 off 43, coming in when the Renegades were 2-63.
The Stars have only played two games to date, a scheduling favour I suspect made by BBL organizers to accommodate Kevin Pietersen’s wishes to stay in England for Christmas. It means we should get plenty of Stars action from here on out, which means plenty more chances to see the most exciting batting lineup in the league. I’ve been riding the Stars hard this year, and I’ll continue to ride them as long as they are fit. With a 3-ODI series in New Zealand coming up followed by the Australian Test tour of India, there could be a few issues with namely James Faulkner and Glenn Maxwell. If they are selected for either tour, I might have to reassess my pick for the title, but for this game I’m happy taking the Stars who I can’t see falling for 151 again.
TIP: Melbourne Stars to Win - $1.76 at Sportsbet
Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Thunder (Sunday 8th, 7.10pm AEDT)
It’s hard to bet on the Thunder at the moment, especially with the injury concerns over superstar all-rounder Andre Russel. We should get a bit more of a guide as to how they are travelling after their clash against the Stars in the final game of round four. However, at the moment they are 0-4 and desperately need a win to stay in some sort of contention.
The Hurricanes will be playing their 2nd game in 3 days but have the added benefit of being at home for this one. They have proved that they are capable of big totals at Blundstone Arena this year, scoring 188 in their first game there and then chasing down the Strikers 143 easily in the 17th over. Kumar Sangakkara was finally able to find some form in the Hurricanes last game, while he came in with only 30 or so to get, he steered the Canes over the line and made 22 in the process. With Tim Paine and D’Arcy Short in great form, I find it tough to see how the Thunder score enough to win this one.
TIP: Hobart Hurricanes to Win - $1.71 at Sportsbet
