The Melbourne Stars have come back from the brink to sit among the top ranked sides in BBL13. Now they will pursue a fifth straight victory against the Sydney Sixers, an intimidating opponent at the best of times!
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 $15,000 contest for this clash, as well as a Big Bash Star Qualifier.
Additionally, make sure to check out our full Stars vs Sixers preview and betting tips!
BIG BASH LEAGUE (BBL13) FANTASY TIPS: STARS VS SIXERS
Stars Squad: Glenn Maxwell, Scott Boland, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Sam Harper, Imad Wasim, Nick Larkin, Dan Lawrence, Jono Merlo, Joel Paris, Corey Rocchiccioli, Tom Rogers, Mark Steketee, Marcus Stoinis, Beau Webster
Sixers Squad: Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Tom Curran, Joel Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Todd Murphy, Steve O'Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Mitch Perry, Josh Philippe, Jordan Silk, James Vince
Despite losing two key overseas players, Haris Rauf and Usama Mir, the Melbourne Stars have managed to maintain the rage and extend their winning streak to four.
Dan Lawrence has proven to be a more than capable replacement for the Pakistani duo in his first couple of games, scoring a quickfire half-century before impacting with the ball in the Melbourne Derby.
His form has been complimented by strong returns from Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, the star trio setting the standard for the Stars going forward.
With a favourable run home, the men in green should qualify for the finals, setting up an exciting time in the city of Melbourne.
Across the border, the Sixers are also travelling well, although their momentum has slowed over the last couple of weeks.
The bowlers have done the bulk of the work as per usual – Jackson Bird and Jack Edwards have taken eight wickets each, while no batter sits within the top 10 for runs scored.
It’s a formula that has worked in recent years, but one would suggest that more will be needed from the batsmen if the Sixers are to go all the way in BBL13… bring on the return of Steve Smith!
Fantasy Plays
Love It – Glenn Maxwell ($23,500)
All the signs point towards another Maxwell special on Saturday night. The Stars skipper has hit a record 688 runs against the Sixers over his BBL career, and is coming off three consecutive 100+ DFS point matches. I expect Maxi to feature heavily with both bat and ball at the MCG, so he is worth every penny of his asking price.
Love It – Dan Lawrence ($17,000)
Known primarily as a classy top order batsman, Lawrence showed another side of his skillset against the Renegades by taking 2/8 with some unconventional off-spin. That performance should see the Englishman given more opportunities to take wickets, positioning him as a genuine all-rounder with multiple scoring avenues.
Don’t Love It – Sam Harper ($8,800)
After starting the season at the top of the order, Harper now finds himself hidden down near the tail. As such, he has failed to register a positive DFS score since December 26. I can’t see Harper’s role changing for the better any time soon, so he will rely on an unlikely batting collapse to make an impact.
Don’t Love It – Moises Henriques ($13,300)
Moises is starting to slow down in his older age, managing just one 40+ DFS score so far this campaign. With so many all-rounders in the Sixers XI, Henriques has lost much of the bowling role he used to thrive in, leaving batting contributions as his only source of scoring. This is not ideal for over $13k, so I’ll be looking elsewhere.
Who Knows – Marcus Stoinis ($15,400)
Stoinis was having a season to forget until he sensationally found form against the Strikers on New Years Eve, belting 55 from 19 balls in a vintage performance. It begs the question, is Stoinis back to his best? It will be tough to make that conclusion until the beefy ball-striker finds some consistency, so all eyes will be on Stoinis on Saturday night.
Suggested Draftstars Line-up
