Last Updated on 4 months by Charbel Coorey

WBBL 07 Match 1: SS-W vs MS-W Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | SS-W vs MS-W Dream11 Prediction Today | Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Stars Key Players | Bellerive Oval Hobart Pitch Report

The biggest and best T20 league in women’s cricket is back for another year, and this season promises to be a cracker. WBBL 07 is all set to begin in Hobart, with two sides keen to make a good start.

Sydney Sixers, despite possessing star-studded lineups, have missed the finals in the past two years. Two fifth-placed finishes is certainly not good enough for the Sixers, who now have Shafali Verma among the talented Australian core including Alyssa Healy, Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner. So, a strong start can set the tone for a good campaign.

Melbourne Stars, last year’s finalists, will also be looking to make a mark early in the tournament. However, they will have to perform this season without magnificent talent in their ranks this time around. England stars Natalie Sciver and Katherine Brunt are unavailable to return this season, while South Africa Mignon du Preez has moved to Hobart and Australian leg-spinner Alana King is with the Scorchers. So, the onus will be on the Aussie core – particularly Meg Lanning and Annbel Sutherland – to lead the way.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Sydney Sixers:

• Alyssa Healy has an outstanding record vs Stars. She has smashed 394 runs in 10 innings at an average of 43.78 and strike rate of 164.85. However, she averages just 17 in 10 T20s at Hobart, so it will be interesting to see how she fares here.
• Can Shafali Verma make an immediate impact. The 17-year old from India has been outstanding in leading her teams to wins, averaging 36.15 and striking at 152.21 in 22 such matches. Interestingly, she averages just 9.81 in the 21 matches her team has lost.
• Ellyse Perry may move down the order from her usual opening position. She has the most runs in Sixers-Stars matches, with 428 runs in 11 matches at an average of 61.14 and strike rate of 106.73. She will be aiming to come back from a quiet T20I series against India.
• Perry’s 191 runs at Hobart come at an average of 63.67. Also, she has 10 wickets in as many matches on this ground in T20s.
• Ashleigh Gardner has worked hard on her bowling in 2021, and it showed with her efforts against India (2/28, 1/12, 1/22). She also has a century against Melbourne Stars in T20 cricket (overall average of 27).
• Eyes will be on Stella Campbell in WBBL 07. As one of the country’s up-and-coming pacers, Campbell will be looking to build on solid performances vs India in the tour match (3/38) and ODI (1/41).

Melbourne Stars:

• Given that the likes of Nat Sciver and Mignon du Preez are not longer available for the Stars, eyes will be on Annabel Sutherland who is expected to have greater responsibility with both bat and ball.
• She has had limited opportunities vs Sixers to date (3 inns, 27 runs, avg. 27.00) and one wicket at an average of 53.00.
• Meg Lanning has a key role to play. The skipper has a fine record for the Stars against the Sixers, with 247 runs in five matches at an average of 82.33 and strike rate of 121.08.
• Also, Lanning loves batting at Hobart. She has scored 310 runs in nine matches on this ground at an average of 51.67 and strike rate of 121.57.
• Ellyse Villani has scored 356 runs at an average of 32.26 in 12 matches against the Sixers. Also, Villani prefers to chase in T20s, averaging 36.61 in 119 such matches compared to 25.27 in 113 games batting first.
• Maia Boucher was in some decent form in the recent Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in England, striking scores of 30, 40 and 33 for the Vipers.
• Tess Flintoff took 11 wickets in 14 matches in WBBL 06 at an average of 20. She has three wickets in as many matches vs Sixers (avg. 23.67). Sophie Day also took 11 wickets last season (avg. 21).

Stats and Facts

• Head-to-head: Matches 12, Sixers 5, Stars 6, N/R 1.
• Sydney Sixers have won the last three completed matches between the teams.
• Kim Garth was in some decent form domestically earlier in 2021, and could be a fine addition to the Stars team.

Possible Playing 11

Erin Burns will miss the opening rounds of WBBL for personal reasons.

Sydney Sixers: 1. Alyssa Healy (wk), 2. Shafali Verma, 3. Ellyse Perry (c), 4. Nicole Bolton, 5. Ashleigh Gardner, 6. Matilda Lugg, 7. Angela Reakes, 8. Maitlan Brown, 9. Radha Yadav, 10. Lauren Cheatle, 11. Stella Campbell

Melbourne Stars: 1. Elyse Villani, 2. Meg Lanning (c), 3. Kim Garth, 4. Annabel Sutherland, 5. Maia Bouchier, 6. Nicole Faltum (wk), 7. Erin Osborne, 8. Maddy Darke, 9. Linsey Smith, 10. Tess Flintoff, 11. Sophie Day

Bellerive Oval Hobart Pitch Report and Weather

Bellerive Oval played host to four WBBL matches in 2019. The average first innings score was 152 on a ground which was also good for batting in the men’s BBL last season. Expect a true surface here.

Unfortunately, there is some rain forecast for afternoon and evening in Hobart. This could be a shortened match.

Dream11 Prediction

Note: Teams below are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these teams in time after the final playing XIs have been announced.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Fan2Play Prediction

Base team:

• Wicket-keepers: Alyssa Healy
• Batters: Meg Lanning, Shafali Verma
• All-rounders: Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner
• Bowlers: Stella Campbell, Radha Yadav

Also read: Fan2Play vs Dream11 – What’s the difference?

Match Prediction

Sydney Sixers have the talent but have not performed consistently in the past two seasons. However, Melbourne Stars have lost a lot of quality, so the Sixers look a good pick for this match.