And here we are after almost 50 days of intense cricketing action, we have now reached the business end of one of the most celebrated Global T20 league- Big Bash League. The season saw a number of changes- the implementation of a power surge, the exciting X-factor, and one of the most successful ones being the introduction of the Bash point.
The first match of the Play-off will begin with the Eliminator between the 4th placed Brisbane Heat and 5th placed Adelaide Strikers. It was only the last match of the group stage that decided the fate of the teams and the fact that the gap between the 2nd placed team and 6th placed is just 4 points only shows how intense the 2020 season turned out.
The Eliminator between the sides is scheduled to be played at the Gabba in Brisbane. The encounter is a knock-out between the sides as the losing team will be eliminated from the tournament. While the winners will play the Sydney Thunder in the Knock-out match.
The teams will be meeting for the third time in the season. Both the previous encounters saw the Strikers come on top, the Heat will be hoping they can turn the tables in their favor in this all-important encounter.
Though the momentum is with the Heat as they come into this match on the back of a thrilling 6 runs victory against the in-form Perth Scorchers. Strikers were hammered by the Thunders in their last match as Thunders managed to win the rain-curtailed match by 9 wickets.
Can Chris Lynn and Co. continue their winning momentum? Or will the Strikers score a hat-trick of wins over the Heat?
Match Toss Time: 17:45 Local (13:15 IST)
Match Start Time: 18:15 Local (13:45 IST)
Match Venue: The Gabba, Brisbane
Weather Report
The conditions are not ideal for cricket as scattered showers are expected throughout the duration of the game. There are high chances the game could be a rain-curtailed one but the result looks certain. The temperature is expected to be hovering in the 26-22 degree Celsius and the humidity at the peak is likely to touch the 59 percent mark.
Pitch
The venue was not used for BBL action for the last couple of weeks as they wanted to keep the strip fresh for the test match between Australia and India. The pitch from what we saw in the last few games is a good strip for batting and the ball does come on to the bat well. The spinners will get good assistance and the overcast conditions do it make it even better for them. The team batting first should be looking to score somewhere in the 165-170 range.
Team News
Brisbane Heat have been bolstered with the inclusion of Marnus Labuschagne. The 26-year old has been very handy with both the bat and ball. Their skipper Chris Lynn too has been in splendid form and once again these two players will hold the key for the Heat. Brisbane Heat is likely to feature the same Xl that played against the Perth Scorchers.
Strikers on the other side have one of the best opening pair in the league- Alex Carey and Jake Weatherald. Both the openers are in tremendous touch and if they getting going, Strikers would find things a lot easier. Micheal Neser, who was made to replace Matt Renshaw has done a decent job with the ball and he is likely to retain his spot.
Probable Playing Xl
Brisbane Heat (HEA): Chris Lynn (c), Max Bryant, Marnus Labuschagne, Joe Denly, Joe Burns, Lewis Gregory, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Jack Wildermuth, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, Ben Laughlin
Adelaide Strikers (STR): Alex Carey (wk), Jake Weatherald, Philip Salt, Travis Head (c), Jonathan Wells, Ryan Gibson, Michael Neser, Daniel Worrall, Wes Agar, Liam O Connor, Peter Siddle
HEA vs STR Fantasy Team
Alex Carey, Max Bryant, Chris Lynn, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Lewis Gregory, Travis Head, Mitchell Swepson, Mark Steketee, Wes Agar, Daniel Worrall
Captain Picks: Marnus Labuschagne (HEA), Jake Weatherald (STR)
Vice-captain Picks: Alex Carey (STR), Chris Lynn (HEA)
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