With just five rounds left to play in the BBL08 season, teams will be starting to place a higher value on each win in a fight for the coveted positions in the top four! Round 10 of the season offers four great games getting underway on Monday night with the Adelaide Strikers taking on the Hobart Hurricanes from 7.15pm.
We take a look at all four games in Round 10 and give our betting tips below.
BBL08 Round 10 Betting Tips
Adelaide Strikers vs Hobart Hurricanes (Monday 21st Jan 7.15pm AEDT)
The Cane Train continued to roll on Friday night as they travelled to Perth and defeated the Scorchers in a final over thriller. James Faulkner was the hero on the night, scoring 16 runs off the first three balls of the final over to help the Hurricanes claim victory. It was a rare quiet night for the Hurricanes top order as both Matthew Wade and D’Arcy Short both being dismissed early. Caleb Jewell and George Bailey were fantastic in the revival, however, putting up over 100 runs between them to help chase down the Scorchers 177.
The Strikers currently sit just outside the top four with a 4-4 record through eight games. Adelaide haven't played a game in over a week, with their last contest coming back on the 13th of January. They were bowled out for just 97 that night trying to chase down the Thunder’s total of 168. The loss marks the second in three games for the Strikers, who could now lose skipper Travis Head once again to Test duties with the series against Sri Lanka starting on Thursday.
They will, however, get both Alex Carey and Billy Stanlake back from ODI duties, which will be a massive boost to both their batting and bowling stocks. Tough game to call here, the Strikers play so well at home but the Hobart batting lineup is one of the best we’ve seen in any iteration of the BBL. The toss should be vital in this game and whoever wins should bat first, but we have to side with the Hurricanes marginally.
Hobart Hurricanes to win
$1.91
Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Renegades (Tuesday 22nd Jan 7.15pm AEDT)
The Sydney Thunder’s Batting lineup has been dominant in their last two games. Shane Watson scored 68 to lead them to a fantastic win over the Adelaide Strikers last week. He then notched up the first hundred in BBL08 as the Thunder compiled a good score (186) and were in a winning position against the Brisbane Heat before the lights at The Gabba went out, resulting in a no contest.
The Melbourne Renegades suffered a tough loss to the Stars in the second derby of the season. The Gades compiled just 121 runs batting first and while their bowlers put up a competitive effort, the Stars passed the total in the last over. Melbourne still sit inside the top four by two points but with 10 games already on the board, they’ll need to keep winning to ensure a finals berth.
We thought the Sydney Thunder might fall away marginally after the departure of star English duo Joe Root and Jos Buttler, however, Watson has stood up in a big way and youngster Jason Sangha looked impressive batting at four against the Strikers. Their spin to win mentality is still a big factor and with the Renegades set to lose Marcus Harris from their top order, we think the Thunder should win this at home.
Sydney Thunder to win
$1.90
Melbourne Stars vs Adelaide Strikers (Wednesday 23rd Jan 3.00pm AEDT)
The Strikers will face off in their second game of Round 10 on Wednesday when they travel to Moe to take on the Stars. At the time of writing, the Strikers are yet to square off against the Hurricanes, however, they’ll be back on the road this week where they have struggled a bit so far in BBL08. Travis Head will certainly be out of the team by now even if he does manage to get the all clear from CA to play on Monday night while Peter Siddle will also miss due to injury to Josh Hazlewood.
After three losses on the trot, the Melbourne Stars got right back to their winning ways when the star quartet of Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa returned from ODI duty. The Stars kept their cross-town rivals to just 121 led by some brilliant bowling by Marcus Stoinis, Jackson Bird and Liam Plunkett. Stoinis then continued his great form with the bat, compiling 70 off just 65 balls to lead the Stars to a measured win.
Peter Handscomb will be available for the game after being dropped for the Test series against Sri Lanka which will be a massive boost for the Stars batting lineup. The core of their team are all in great form at the moment and should be able to get a home win over the Strikers.
Melbourne Stars to win
$1.81
Sydney Sixers vs Hobart Hurricanes (Wednesday 23rd Jan 7.15pm AEDT)
The Hobart Hurricnaes won in convincing fashion over the Adelaide Strikers on Monday night. Bowling first, they restricted the Strikers to just 154 off their 20 overs, in reply, openers Matthew Wade and D'Arcy Short put on an unbeaten 158 run partnership to win the game by 10 wickets and with 3.1 overs in the back pocket. Wade and Short scored 84 and 73 respectively to cruise to victory and with the partnership, the two moved to the top of the BBL08 run scorers table. Short in particular is having a monster year, currently leading the run scoring table with 441 runs at a ridiculous average of 63.
The Sixers were also fantastic in their last game, compiling 177 batting first against the Heat and in reply, bowling their oppositions out for just 98. The English duo of James Vince and Tom Curran were fanastic in the win, Vince with the bat scoring 75 off 46 balls and Curran with the ball picking up 3-16 off four overs. With the win, the Sixers move to second on the BBL08 ladder and set up a top of the table clash with the Hurricanes on Wednesday night.
The Sixers will be happy to be at the SCG for this game but up against the most in form batting line-up in the competition, they'll have their hands full. Along with Wade and Short, the Hurricanes have another two batsmen inside the top 20 run scorers in BBL08 in Ben McDermott and George Bailey and look like scoring 180+ on any given night on any wicket. We think they continue their winning ways on Wednesday.
Hobart Hurricanes to win
$1.61