Last Updated on 10 months by Charbel Coorey

BBL 10 Match 9: SCO vs STA Preview Dream11 Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | SCO vs STA Dream11 Prediction Today | Scorchers vs Stars Key Players | Launceston Pitch Report

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In a tournament that needs a thriller, this could be it. Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Stars, two of the highly-fancied teams for the BBL 10 Title, do battle in what has the potential to be an early season blockbuster.

For that to happen, though, the Scorchers will have to be better than they were in the opening game against the Renegades. The spotlight will be on their batsmen after getting rolled for 130 en-route to a thumping seven-wicket defeat against a team that suffered the biggest-ever BBL defeat 24 hours later. No batsman in the top six crossed 25, so the onus will be on the Scorchers’ top order, which contains talent, to put on a better showing.

The Stars, like last season, are one of the contenders for the Title. Again, they have made a great start to their campaign, but ultimately the question will be whether they can go all the way. For now, though, they will want to continue the momentum, as they are currently the only team to take the maximum points so far in BBL 10. They will welcome Nicholas Pooran, who is set to make his debut. So, after good wins against the Heat and Thunder, can the Stars make it three straight?

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Melbourne Stars:

• Marcus Stoinis has the most runs in Stars-Scorchers matches out of the players in the current squad. He has scored 226 runs in nine innings at an average of 32.29. However, can he improve on his strike rate of 113?
• Liam Hatcher, the young Aussie quick to watch out for in the coming years, impressed on Stars debut a few days ago. He is coming off 3/28 against the Thunder.
• Glenn Maxwell, who was in fine form for Australia in the recent white-ball matches, has made a solid start to BBL 10: 46* (26) and 39 (29).
• Nathan Coulter-Nile is expected to return for this match. He was player-of-the-match in Stars’ first game of BBL 10, with a superb 4/10 against the Heat.
• Adam Zampa has taken five wickets in four games against Scorchers. Also, Zampa is coming off a player-of-the-match performance, after taking 2/10 against the Thunder.

Perth Scorchers:

• Josh Inglis scored over 400 runs at an impressive strike rate of 153 last season. Scorchers need a good start from him against a high-performing Stars side.
• Cameron Bancroft has the most runs against Stars out of any of the current Scorchers players (159 runs, avg. 31.80, SR 108.16).
• What impact will Colin Munro have? He was good in CPL 2020 earlier this year, with 207 runs at an average of 34.50 and SR 133.54 on slow pitches.
• Mitchell Marsh (16) and Ashton Turner (24) both made starts against the Renegades. The Scorchers need them to go on with those starts today.
• Andrew Tye has a magnificent record against Stars. He has taken 19 wickets in nine games against them.
• Jhye Richardson has taken five wickets in six games vs Stars, and is coming off 2/20 vs Renegades.

Stats and Facts

• Head-to-head: Matches 16, Scorchers 8, Stars 8.
• Stars beat Scorchers twice last season. In the last meeting, Stars rolled Scorchers for just 86. Josh Inglis was the only player to produce anything of note for the Scorchers, with 37 off 19 balls. Marcus Stoinis sealed the chase with 39* off 31 balls.
• Jason Behrendhorff will be key. Can he improve on his record of two wickets in six matches vs Stars? (avg. 87)

Possible Playing 11

Melbourne Stars have finally confirmed their squad. Nicholas Pooran is set to debut. Nic Maddinson is back from Australia A duties, and it will be interesting to see who he comes in for. Nathan Coulter-Nile was rested for the game against Thunder, and should return today.

Dilbar Hussain is out for four to six weeks with a hamstring injury. Adam Zampa has been granted leave to take a break from the bio-secure bubble.

Melbourne Stars: 1. Marcus Stoinis, 2. Andre Fletcher, 3. Glenn Maxwell (c), 4. Nicholas Pooran (wk), 5. Nic Maddinson/Nick Larkin, 6. Hilton Cartwright, 7. Nathan Coulter-Nile, 8. Clint Hinchliffe, 9. Lance Morris, 10. Liam Hatcher, 11. Billy Stanlake

Perth Scorchers produced a poor performance against Melbourne Renegades, and will be out for an improved performance. They have tweeted their squad for the match.

Perth Scorchers: 1. Josh Inglis (wk), 2. Colin Munro, 3. Joe Clarke, 4. Mitchell Marsh, 5. Ashton Turner (c), 6. Cameron Bancroft, 7. Aaron Hardie, 8. Jhye Richardson, 9. Andrew Tye, 10. Jason Behrendhorff, 11. Fawad Ahmed

Launceston Pitch Report and Weather

Launceston hosted the match between Strikers and Hurricanes yesterday. In that game, the new-ball bowlers found some considerable movement off the pitch, which was difficult for the top order to negotiate. So, watch out for the new-ball bowlers in this game; the key for the top order players will be to get through the initial challenging overs.

Unfortunately, there is a good chance of late afternoon/early evening showers in Launceston, which could prompt the captain who wins the bat flip to bowl first.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Match Prediction

If there is a result, the Stars look good for a win. They are in better form than the Scorchers, who will need to kickstart their season in this match.