KFC BBL|12
The Renegades victory over the Strikers secured the club a return to finals for the first time in four seasons but where they finish depends on who wins today
Dave Middleton
25 January 2023, 07:00 AM AEST
@Dave_Middleton
The Perth Scorchers and Sydney Sixers have locked up the top two spots, respectively, and the Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Renegades are also in, but where they finish on the table all comes down to today's results.
The Renegades currently sit third on 14 points and will host either the Eliminator on Friday or the Knockout on Sunday at Marvel Stadium.
The Heat can jump them with a win today over the Hurricanes, while the Thunder will be hoping to secure their passage to the knockout stages with a win over the Stars in the final match of the regular season as a loss would leave the door ajar for Hobart to sneak in.
With four teams now locked in for the top five, and just two games to go, there's all to play for for the Brisbane Heat, Sydney Thunder and Hobart Hurricanes on the final day of the regular season. Here's how it breaks down.
Remaining games
1.40pm AEDT: Hurricanes v Heat @ UTAS
7.15pm AEDT: Stars v Thunder @ MCG
1st: Perth Scorchers (22 points)
Played: 14 | Won: 11 | Lost: 3 | NRR: 1.205
Perth are confirmed to finish top in BBL|12, and as such will host two finals, starting with the Qualifier final on Saturday night against the second placed Sixers. Win that and they will host the BBL Final on February 4. Lose and they will instead host the Challenger final on February 2.
The Scorchers are expected to welcome back Jhye Richardson from injury for the Qualifier, while Lance Morris will also be available having missed their last regular season match with illness. They will, however, be without Ashton Agar who has been called into camp early by the Australian Test squad ahead of their looming tour of India.
2nd: Sydney Sixers (21 points)
Played: 14 | Won: 10 | Lost: 3 | No result: 1 | NRR: 0.846
The Sixers completed their regular season with a win over the Hurricanes in Hobart on Monday night to finish one point behind Perth. It means they will travel west for the Qualifier final on Saturday night, boosted by the confirmation red-hot Aussie Test star Steve Smith will be available for the match. Nathan Lyon has also been cleared to play but the off-spinner has been managing a minor knee complaint ahead of the India Test tour. The Sixers will not have Todd Murphy available, who will spend the weekend at a spin camp in Sydney ahead of the Test tour of India.
Win the Qualifier in Perth and the Sixers will host the BBL Final at the SCG on February 4, but if they lose they will instead host the Challenger final on February 2. Either way, the Sixers will need to solve how to replace Smith, who will be in India by then, having smashed 24 sixes and two centuries in four games to close out the BBL|12 season.
3rd: Melbourne Renegades (14 points)
Played: 14 | Won: 7 | Lost: 7 | NRR: -0.027
It was fitting that club stalwart and Australian great Aaron Finch led the Renegades back to finals for the first time after three seasons entrenched at the foot of the table.
Victory over the Strikers by six wickets last night secured a home final while knocking Adelaide out in the process.
The Renegades will host either the Eliminator on Friday or the Knockout on Sunday.If the Hurricanes beat the Heat on today, the Gades will finish third and host the Knockout final at Marvel on January 29, regardless of the Stars-Thunder result.
If the Heat win, the Gades will finish fourth and host the Eliminator on January 27 regardless of the result in the Stars-Thunder clash as their net-run-rate advantage is too much of a gap to for the Sydney side to bridge.
India-bound Test squad member Peter Handscomb will be available for the club if they play the Eliminator, but will be unavailable for the Knockout final. Handscomb, who has overcome a hip injury, has been sparingly used by the Renegades this summer anyway.
4th: Brisbane Heat (13 points)
Played: 13 | Won: 6 | Lost: 6 | No result: 1 | NRR: -0.530
Run home: Today v Hurricanes (UTAS Stadium)
With four wins on the trot the Brisbane Heat are peaking at the right time, and secured a spot in the finals after the Sixers beat the Hurricanes on Monday. With 13 points already under their belt, the lowest they can finish is fifth, but could still finish as high as third.
The simplest way to claim third spot – and hosting rights for the Knockout final – is to beat the Hurricanes in Launceston.
If they lose to the Hurricanes, the Heat will play in the Eliminator final but must wait to see the result of the Stars-Thunder clash to learn whether they host the Hurricanes (with a Stars win), or travel to Sydney (if Thunder win).
Heat's trio of Test batters Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw have been cleared to play in either or both of the Eliminator and Knockout finals in week one of the finals before they head to India.
Leg-spinner Mitch Swepson will be available to the Heat if they play the Eliminator final, but will only be available for the Knockout final if it is hosted in Sydney given he is required at the Test squad's pre-tour spin focused training camp in that city over the weekend.
5th: Sydney Thunder (12 points)
Played: 13 | Won: 6 | Lost: 7 | NRR: -0.813
Run home: Today v Stars (MCG)
With only one win in their past four games, it's alarm bells for the Sydney Thunder, but the good news is by playing in the last game of the regular season, they will know exactly what is required of them before they take the field.
If the Heat win, the Thunder will be secure in the top five before a ball is bowled at the MCG on Wednesday evening.
However, if Hurricanes beat the Heat, the Thunder will need a win to make the finals, because their poor NRR will see them finish below the Canes if they are level on points.
David Warner is yet to light up the BBL with scores of 19, 0, 26 and 16 this season. On Wednesday he returns to the scene of his Test double century this summer, and if the Thunder do make the finals, he will be available for both of the Eliminator and Knockout finals before jetting out to India with the Test squad.
6th: Adelaide Strikers (10 points)
Played: 14 | Won: 5 | Lost: 9 | NRR: -0.151
It's season over for the Adelaide Strikers after last night's loss to the Renegades, capping a disappointing second half of the tournament. On top of the table after their opening five games, they suffered a mid-season slump and finished with five successive defeats.
It was a rollercoaster of a season for the Strikers – they bowled the Thunder out for a world-record low men's T20 score of 15 and they chased down the highest total ever in BBL history against the Hurricanes.
Matt Short also enjoyed another fantastic season and remains the tournament's top run-scorer, but he went missing in the final few games when his team needed him the most.
7th: Hobart Hurricanes (10 points)
Played: 13 | Won: 5 | Lost: 8 | NRR: -0.373
Run home: Today v Heat (UTAS Stadium)
Widely tipped before the tournament as one of the teams to beat in BBL|12, the Hurricanes' inconsistency will have disappointed Ricky Ponting in his first season as head of strategy.
A loss today to the red-hot Heat in Launceston and their season is over.
But even if they beat the Heat, the Hurricanes will then be cheering on the bottom-placed Stars against the Thunder. If the Thunder lose, Hobart will have a better NRR, and would sneak into fifth spot and play in the Eliminator for the second season in a row.
8th: Melbourne Stars (6 points)
Played: 13 | Won: 3 | Lost: 10 | NRR: -0.270
Run home: Today v Thunder (MCG)
Another wooden spoon for the Melbourne Stars, and only pride is on the line fo rthem today. They could still impact the finals though, but only if the Hurricanes win in today's early match. In that event, a victory over the Thunder would mean the Sydney club would also miss the final five.
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