Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars | Preview, probable XI, match prediction and live streaming details
The Sydney Thunder will host the Melbourne Stars at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on Tuesday. The match will be the 19th game of the current season of the Big Bash League (BBL 2020).
Both teams come into the game on the back of contrasting results. Since losing to the Melbourne Stars in their first game of the season, Callum Ferguson’s side has won 3 games in succession.
Their great form has seen them rise to 2nd place in the BBL 2020 table, with 11 points from 4 games. Skipper Callum Ferguson has led from the front and is the Sydney Thunder’s leading run-scorer in BBL 2020 with 146 runs.
After Usman Khawaja, Alex Hales and Tanveer Sangha featured in the side’s 129 run victory over the Melbourne Renegades, the Sydney Thunder will be confident about their chances on Tuesday.
It will be interesting to see how the Melbourne Stars react to losing their first BBL game of the season. The team's unbeaten run was snapped as the Sydney Sixers held their nerve to beat the Stars by a wicket.
Glenn Maxwell will be buoyed by the fact that the team is firing on all cylinders, and will be confident about returning to winning ways. They are currently placed 4th in the BBL points table, with 10 points from 4 games.
Glenn Maxwell and Liam Hatcher have been the standout performers for the side. The fact that they have already beaten the Sydney Sixers will certainly boost morale in the team ahead of this BBL 2020 clash.
Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars match details
Date: December 29, 2020 (Tuesday)
Time: 1:45 PM IST/ 7:15 PM Local Time
Venue: Manuka Oval, Canberra
Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars weather report
While there are chances of rain earlier in the day, it is not expected to interrupt this BBL 2020 clash. High humidity and broken cloud cover will be the order of the day, with an average temperature of around 22 degrees Celsius.
Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars pitch report
The average score on the pitch is 152 runs, with the pitch favouring the batsmen. Chasing has proven to be slightly easier and 3 out of the 5 BBL 2020 matches held at the venue have been won by the teams batting second.
Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars predicted XIs
Sydney Thunder: Alex Hales, Usman Khawaja, Callum Ferguson (c), Oliver Davies, Baxter Holt (wk), Ben Cutting, Daniel Sams, Chris Green, Adam Milne, Tanveer Sangha, Nathan McAndrew
Melbourne Stars: Marcus Stoinis, Andre Fletcher, Hilton Cartwright, Glenn Maxwell, Nicholas Pooran, Nic Maddinson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa, Liam Hatcher, Billy Stanlake, Zahir Khan
Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars match prediction
Despite losing their last match, the Melbourne Stars are one of the most well-balanced sides in this year's BBL. With the team yet to lose at the Manuka Oval this season, they will go into the clash as favourites.
Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars TV and live streaming details
TV: Sony Sports Network
Live streaming: SonyLIV