MLS vs SYT Live Score: Melbourne Stars will lock horns with Sydney Thunders in Match 12 of the Big Bash League. It is still early days in the BBL 2023-24 but Melbourne Stars & Sydney Thunder can’t afford too many defeats as it will result in teams in the top half pulling away from them. Even before this fixture, Brisbane Heat has played four matches & the Stars and Thunder are already seven points from the top spot in the table. The margins of defeat show that the Stars have not been competitive whereas Sydney Thunder could have picked up one win if a few key moments had gone their way in Match 8. With both teams aiming for a win, the game will be worth watching & will surely result be an exciting package for fans.
Teams Preview
Melbourne Stars Preview
Stars will have to move on from their last defeat & should aim to deliver in this fixture. They need to score the most runs in this clash & for that, the likes of Marcus Stoinis & Hilton Cartwright will be key players as Maxwell is expected to miss this fixture due to an injury. In the bowling department they have a biggest bet in Haris Rauf who is one of the most successful white ball bowlers in the last 18-24 months & getting the best out of him will be important for Stars. Captain Stoinis needs to give Rauf the space that he requires which will help him to deliver efficiently. Stars were defeated by Thunder in both of their fixtures last year & they need to break all the hurdles to prevent a third loss.
Melbourne Stars Predicted Playing XI:
Sam Harper (wk), Thomas Rogers, Beau Webster, Marcus Stoinis (c), Hilton Cartwright, Nick Larkin, Jonathan Merlo, Liam Dawson, Usama Mir, Joel Paris, Haris Rauf
Sydney Thunder Preview
Sydney Thunders Players and management will try to figure out why they failed to beat Adelaide Strikers even after posting a total of 200 runs in their last fixture. But against an unconfident bowling unit just like Stars, they could have a golden chance of posting 200+ total on board.
Bancroft has posted 74 runs off 54 balls & there was also a quick-fire cameo of 18 runs off 7 balls from Alex Hales who was not in a good form. Oliver Davies continues to be a stellar performer in the 13 edition of BBL. In the bowling department, it’s Tanvir Sangha needs to prove his expertise in the Spin department at both the National and International Level. His bowling will be key in Thudner’s bowling lineup when they face Melbourne Stars on Saturday.
Sydney Thunder Predicted Playing XI:
Cameron Bancroft, Alex Hales, Jason Sangha, Oliver Davies, Matthew Gilkes (wk), Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Chris Green (c), Liam Hatcher, Zaman Khan, Tanveer Sangha
STA vs THU Match Details:
Match Melbourne Stars Vs Sydney Thunder, Big Bash League 2023-24
Venue Lavington Sports Oval, Albury
Date & Time Saturday, December 23, 10:00 AM (IST)
Live Broadcast and Streaming Details Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar
Pitch & Weather Conditions
There could be some thunderstorms in the region across the first hour of this match. But after that, the forecast would be warm & dry conditions for the rest of Saturday afternoon. Reports suggest that the pitch is a two-paced one & a par score of 155 will not be too high here. We expect spinners & quick bowlers to enjoy bowling on this wicket.
Toss to bowl first
With no BBL matches being played on this ground we predict that both the teams will want to field first & try & get a feel for what is a par score before chasing.
Winning Prediction
With both the teams already behind in the BBL group stage winning this match will be a priority for the Stars & Thunder. In the ongoing season, Sydney Thunder have looked like a good team & will look ahead to win this fixture. Whereas Melbourne Stars are very poor & in the absence of some key players we predict Sydney Thunder will have an edge in this fixture.
We predict Sydney Thunder to win this match.
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