Looking for BBL 2021 betting tips for Stars vs Sixers? You’ve come to the right place! Both sides are two from three so something’s gotta give here and whoever wins this one will shoot up the table.
There will be tips on the match winner market, the toss market and we’ve picked a good Stars top bowler selection, as well.
So, everything you need to know before the action gets underway at the iconic MCG in Melbourne on December 15th. If you’re looking for cricket satta rates for the game, keep reading.
The best cricket betting tips are up next. The Sixers go into this one as outsiders but I’m about to give you four very good reasons as to why your money should be on them, not the Stars.
There’s also a good bet on the Stars’ mystery bowler, in fine form, to take the most wickets. Plus my prediction of who might win the toss.
If there were doubts that Andre Russell was going to make some sort of impact in his five-match spell at the Stars, they were quickly put to bed in his second game for the Melbourne outfit, against the Thunder.
Chasing a modest total of just 152, the Stars were stuttering at one stage. Glenn Maxwell got them back into the contest with 40 off 25 but when he got out, there was still a job to do.
A job that Russell did very well.
Batting at five, he came in and smashed 42 off 21 to turn a tight chase into a walk in the park.
He was named man-of-the-match.
23 off 13 from Hilton Cartwright was a good contribution, as well.
Earlier on in the day, Qais Ahmad bowled beautifully for his 2-17 off four overs and Brody Crouch was also good with 2-26. Adam Zampa was unusually expensive: 29-0 off three.
The Stars are now third with two wins from three games and a total of seven points.
Team News
Russell, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Qais Ahmed have really added the so-called X-Factor to proceedings the last couple of games because they were pretty flat in that first game defeat to the Sixers.
The little-known Brody Crouch has been good so far, taking wickets in all three games he’s played and a total of five across them.
He’s been keeping the likes of Sam Rainbird out of the team.
Russell coming in meant Peter Nevill going out and they’re unlikely to make any changes after two wins in a row.
Player to Watch: Andre Russell
Probably the most obvious place to start but with good reason.
There’s an argument to say that he’s the best T20 player ever.
Yes, Windies team-mate Chris Gayle has been king of the runs, Rashid Khan was voted the best T20 player of the decade (2010-19) and Virat Kohli and Babar Azam are among the easiest on the eye when it comes to piling on the runs.
But no player has ever been able to affect a T20 game in all three disciplines like Russell.
His two unbeaten explosive innings of 17 and 42 are a reminder of what he can do with the bat.
But he hasn’t been so good with the ball. He’s gone for 0/40 and 0/38, a suggestion that he’s maybe not fully fit.
It’s a big-looking 9.5 he top scores with the bat and a shorter 7.5 he’s man of the match for a second game running. Prices with Betway.
They’re now two from three after defeat to the Hurricanes at the weekend. They tried to chase a big total after a DLS intervention meant they had to get 196 off 18, rather than 20 overs.
When bowling, the Sixers leaked 213 runs from the 20 overs.
They let openers Matthew Wade get 93 and D’Arcy Short 73 and that will be a bit of a concern.
Unsurprisingly, everyone went for runs. The best of a bad bunch was Steve O’Keefe, who went for 30 runs but also went wicketless.
With the bat there was another good knock from Josh Philippe (72 off 46) but it was in vain.
No-one kept up with him and they fell a big 44 runs short.
But no need to panic. They’re in a strong position in the table and will be eyeing up a Top 2 finish.
Team News
Nick Winter is in the squad but unlikely to make his debut for the Stars in this game.
Who may come in is Ben Dwarshius, finally recovered from an injury.
He was among the BBL’s top wicket-takers last campaign. If he plays here, it’s likely to be Hayden Kerr making way.
There’s no place in the squad for Ben Manenti, who bowled very well in the few opportunities he was given. It’s harsh on the off-spinner.
Player to Watch: James Vince
The 30-year old Englishman wouldn’t make any lists of the world’s best T20 batsmen but he’s actually pretty underrated.
270 T20 games at domestic level have seen him hit 44 fifties and two centuries and a strike rate of 133 is very decent indeed.
He was famously man of the match in both the semi and final last year, both against the Scorchers.
He’s started the season in his usual consistent fashion, hitting 44, 13 and 26 and it’s just a matter of time before he gets his first fifty.
Players like him are vital to any successful side and it’s 4.47 with 10CRIC he top scores for his side in this one.
The MCG is a bit of a strange ground. It’s a good wicket but the boundaries are so big that hitting sixes is easier said than done. You need to really middle it for it to clear the rope.
On the other hand, the outfield is so huge that there are twos and threes everywhere you look.
160 is about par here. Chasing 170 or more won’t be so easy and there’s no obvious toss bias, so we’ll have to see what the winning skipper (of the toss) decides to do.
Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Sixers Head-to-Head
These are two of the big rivals in the BBL. They’ve played each other 17 times and it’s the Sixers who are 10-7 up.
They’ve already played this season, the Sixers posting 213 and the Stars being bowled out for just 61. But remember the Stars were missing a lot of players that day.
Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Sixers Toss Prediction
Time to look at the Stars v Sixers toss winner statistics. The Sixers are considerably ahead on this count, too. It’s 11-7 in their favour. The Stars actually won the toss the other day in that big loss, choosing to field. So it will be interesting to see what happens if Maxwell wins it again.
But the smart money is on the Sixers winning it anyway.
The Stars are warm favourites here. But should they be?
Let’s remember who is a) the joint-most successful side in the BBL b) 10-7 ahead in the head-to-head between these two and c) it was the Sixers who won when they played last week.
And very comfortably, we should add.
The return of some big players for the Stars has got the bookies running a bit scared and that’s without even mentioning how terrified they are of Andre ‘Dre Russ’ Russell.
But the Sixers are the epitome of a solid side and whereas the Stars probably prefer to chase, the Sixers will be comfortable doing either.
Just one of many reasons why the Sixers are the bet, as outsiders.
Here’s our Pure Win review, by the way, where you can see why they’re one of our recommended sites.
10CRIC are taking a big risk in offering odds of 8.21 on Qais Ahmad.
The Afghan leg spinner has the sort of tricks and variety that most BBL batsmen won’t be too used to facing and that’s why he’s such a big threat.
He was brilliant in the last match with his 2-17, winning the market on account of conceding less runs than Couch, who went for 26, also taking two wickets.
Zampa had an off day last time out, Russell remains wicketless and Maxwell generally only bowls one or two overs.
So, with a few question marks over his rivals, Ahmad is a smart and confident choice.
Stars vs Sixers fun statistics
Time to round things off with some fun facts ahead of the game.
The Sixers are a good hunting ground for Maxwell with the bat. His 573 runs in the fixture are almost 200 more than anyone else.
But it’s Marcus Stoinis who has the highest individual score: he hit 147, the only century in the fixture and the highest individual score in BBL history.
Moises Henriques is currently top of the run scorer charts in the 2021-22 BBL with 175, Josh Philippe second on 160.
