Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Stars, Hobart Hurricanes Predicted XI, Big Bash League (BBL 2020-21)

Hobart Hurricanes will enter 2021 with the first match against Melbourne Stars on Saturday (January 2) at their home. This will be the 23rd match of the Big Bash League (BBL) 2020-21 but they will be meeting first time in this season.

Currently, Hobart Hurricanes are ahead of the Melbourne Stars in the points table, standing at number third position with 15 points. But talking about their history with Stars, in the last five matches, Stars have been dominated.

But they are coming off a thrilling one-run win against Brisbane Heat which would have surely boosted their confidence. On the other hand, the Stars have a disappointing defeat in their last two matches. So, the Hurricanes have a good chance to turn the table.

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Here, let’s take a look at how Hobart Hurricanes playing XI might shape in against Brisbane Heat:

D’Arcy Short:

The left-hand batsman D’Arcy Short was out for a duck in the last match. After scoring a half-century in the second match of Hobart Hurricanes, he hasn’t played a big knock. He will look to redeem against Melbourne Stars as it will be his 50th match of the BBL.

Ben McDermott:

Against Renegades, he scored a large chunk of runs while chasing 158 runs target. The 26-year-old remained unbeaten and scored 89 runs off 55 balls, striking seven fours and five sixes. His fiery knock single-handedly helped Hurricanes to win the match.

But after that knock, he has scored 16 and four in his last two matches. Hobart Hurricanes will hope that he replicates his match-winning performance against Melbourne Stars.

David Malan:

Dawid Malan joined the team in the first meeting with Brisbane Heat. He has played only two matches, scoring 39 and 15 runs respectively. The England player is in good form and will look to play a big knock against Melbourne Stars as the openers haven’t been able to set the stage on fire.

Colin Ingram:

Colin Ingram is currently one of the leading scorers for his team. In six matches, he has amassed 209 runs at the strike rate of 128.80. With opening batsmen struggling, Ingram needs to settle himself longer in the field.

Peter Handscomb (C):

Hobart Hurricanes captain Peter Handscomb continued his poor form in the last matches. After scoring 24, 4 and 5 runs respectively in the first three matches, he was out for 13, 7 and 18 runs in the last two matches respectively.

Being the captain, Handscomb needs to find his rhythm back otherwise it might hurt in the longer run.

Tim David:

The Singapore-born cricketer Tim David is one of the leading scorers for Hobart Hurricanes. He has scored 181 runs, which also includes a half-century, in the five matches. Although he is an allrounder, he is being used as a pure batsman.

Keemo Paul:

The Windies allrounder Keemo Paul played the maiden match of BBL against Melbourne Renegades but hasn’t had a good debut match. He didn’t get the opportunity to bat while also went wicketless in his two overs, conceding 27 runs. Hobart Hurricanes are likely to retain him and given him more opportunity to prove his case.

Nathan Ellis:

The pacer Nathan Ellis leaked 40 runs in his four overs which led the game to Heat’s favour. In the last six matches, he has picked one wicket each. Hobart Hurricanes will hope that he gives them an early breakthrough against Melbourne Stars, who has a strong batting lineup.

Scott Boland:

Scott Boland bowled tight spells to choke Melbourne Renegades middle-order batsmen. He gave away only 19 runs in his four overs spell while picked the early wicket of the opener. He was way too economical against Adelaide Strikers.

In the last match against Brisbane Heat, the pacer picked up the two crucial wickets of Jack Wildermuth and Jimmy Pierson. The 31-year-old is the vital cog for Hobart Hurricanes.

Riley Meredith:

The 24-year-old local player bounced back stronger after being expensive in the first three matches. In the last match, he picked three wickets in four overs and gave away 21 runs. Hobart Hurricanes will hope he replicates this performance in the first meeting against Melbourne Stars.