HUR v SIX Prediction: Who will win today's BBL Match?
The season opener of the Big Bash League 2020-21 (BBL 10) season will see defending champions Sydney Sixers squaring off against the Hobart Hurricanes at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart.
The Hurricanes will be without the services of wicket-keeper batsman Ben McDermott, who has been called up to the Australia A squad for their day-night tour match against India A, beginning on December 11.
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In his absence, Peter Handscomb, who has been lured to Hobart from the Melbourne Stars will be leading the side. As for the Sixers, southpaw Daniel Hughes will captain them with regular captain Moises Henriques set to turn out for Australia A as well.
While the Hurricanes will undoubtedly feel the absence of Matthew Wade and McDermott in their BBL season opener, the Sixers will be without Tom Curran for the tournament, with the all-round having pulled out of the entire BBL 2020-21 fixtures.
Johan Botha's surprise jump out of retirement to feature in this BBL season will add some extra experience to the Hurricanes' unit, while Carlos Brathwaite's signing with the Sixers makes for some assured entertainment.
BBL 2020-21 Match 1, Hurricanes v Sixers Match Prediction
Experience plays a big role in T20 cricket, and the Hurricanes have some proven match-winners in their side. D'Arcy Short and James Faulkner will have big roles to play for Hobart in their BBL opener, while the South African imports in Botha and dashing southpaw Colin Ingram will hope to bring their wealth of expertise to the fore.
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As for the Sixers, the absence of Steve Smith, Nathan Lyon and Henriques from the roster means that a lot of the responsibility will need to be shouldered by veteran all-rounder Daniel Christian and England star James Vince.
Gurinder Sandhu has swapped the Green Sydney Thunder jersey for the Sixers' Magenta this season, and he will have Ben Dwarshius, Lawrence Neil-Smith and Tom Rogers for company.
However, despite the exciting inclusions in the Sixers squad, it is hard to look past the extra experience that the Hurricanes have in their unit. With just Wade and McDermott the possible big pieces missing in the jigsaw puzzle, the Hurricanes will fancy their chances of picking up a win to build some momentum in the early stages of BBL 10.
Prediction: Hobart Hurricanes to win.