Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars, BBL 2020-21, Fantasy Pick, team predictions

Pro Tip: The Stars have defeated the Thunder in all of their last five encounters. So we'd suggest picking more players from the Stars in your line-up.

Our XI: Marcus Stoinis, Nick Larkin, Glenn Maxwell, Nicholas Pooran, Adam Zampa, Liam Hatcher, Alex Hales, Callum Ferguson, Oliver Davies, Daniel Sams, Adam Milne

Substitutes: Tanveer Sangha, Usman Khawaja, Hilton Cartwright, Billy Stanlake

Stars: Marcus Stoinis and Nic Maddinson will be available after missing the last game. Nathan Coulter-Nile struggled with an injury in the last game and will miss few games.

Thunder: Sam Billings is likely to be available after completing his quarantine.

Captain: Glenn Maxwell The Stars' captain Maxwell is the third-highest scorer this season with 156 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 152.94. Since BBL 08, against the Thunder, he has scored 144 runs at an average of 48 and a strike rate of 132.11. He can get you some points with his bowling too.

Vice-captain: Nicholas Pooran Pooran showed his prowess in the last game where he scored a 26-ball 65 - one of the most memorable knocks ever in the BBL. He was also the third-highest scorer for the Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2020, hitting 353 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 169.71.

Hot Picks
Callum Ferguson: He is the leading run-scorer for the Thunder in BBL 10 with 146 runs in four games at a strike rate of 118.69. At Manuka Oval, no one has scored more runs than his 242 in eight games at an average of 40.33.

Oliver Davies: Davies has turned heads with his sensational hitting this season. His 36 off 22 against the Perth Scorchers included three sixes and his 48 off 23 against the Melbourne Renegades included five sixes. He tonked those against established bowlers like Jason Behrendorff, Fawad Ahmed and Mohammad Nabi.

Marcus Stoinis: The leading run-scorer in BBL 09 with 705 runs in 17 innings at an average of 54.23, Stoinis started this season with a power-packed 37-ball 61 against the Thunder. After getting a much-needed break in the last game, Stoinis will be looking forward to scoring more runs against the Thunder, against whom he has stuck 332 runs in nine innings at an average of 41.50.

Liam Hatcher: Hatcher picked up 3 for 28 in his debut game against the same opposition. He carried on that form in the next games as well by becoming the joint-leading wicket taker in this season with eight strikes in just three games at an average of 9.75.

Nick Larkin: Larkin has developed a special liking for the Thunder bowlers over the years. He has scored 238 runs in six innings at an average of 79.33 and a strike rate of 143.37 against them.

Alternate Scenarios

• If Nick Larkin doesn't play, Hilton Cartwright can replace him.