Hughes replaces Smith, Heat ring the changes

Sydney Sixers have recalled club stalwart Daniel Hughes to replace Steve Smith for their sudden-death Challenger final against the Brisbane Heat as they seek to reach a seventh KFC BBL decider in 12 editions of the competition.

The 33-year-old left-hander is the only change to the XI that lost to the Perth Scorchers by seven wickets after the Test No.3's five-game stint Big Bash stint came to an end with his departure to India for the four-Test Border-Gavaskar series.

Sydney Sixers XI: Josh Philippe (wk), Kurtis Patterson, Daniel Hughes, Moises Henriques (c), Jordan Silk, Hayden Kerr, Dan Christian, Ben Dwarshuis, Sean Abbott, Stephen O'Keefe, Izharulhaq Naveed

Brisbane Heat XI: Sam Heazlett, Josh Brown, Nathan McSweeney, Sam Hain, Jimmy Peirson (c, wk), Max Bryant, Michael Neser, James Bazley, Xavier Bartlett, Spencer Johnson, Matt Kuhnemann

Sixers skipper Moises Henriques elected to bat first at the SCG, with Kurtis Patterson elevated to open and Hughes to slot in at No.3.

"It's painful at times (the depth of our squad)," Henriques said on the Fox Cricket broadcast following the bat flip.

"(Hughes) is a top 10 BBL run-scorer of all-time, he's still only just past 30 and leading into this tournament he'd scored three one-day hundreds in five hits.

"It's part of why we're such a good team when we have to leave guys like him on the bench and it's also why we're so good that when we get the class of Steve Smith, we get the likes of Daniel coming straight back in."

The Heat have also rung the changes with batters Nathan McSweeney, Max Bryant and Sam Heazlett replacing their Test trio of Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Matthew Renshaw from the side that beat the Melbourne Renegades in the Knockout final on Sunday.

Top-order batter McSweeney made 84 from 51 balls the last time these sides meet on New Year's Day in Brisbane, with the Heat the only team not to lose to the Sixers all season after their return match at North Sydney Oval was abandoned due to rain.

Left-hander Heazlett's has been included for his first match of the season but has form in Big Bash finals with a match-winning 74 not out in the BBL|10 Knockout and he will open alongside breakout star Josh Brown.

But the loss of Khawaja, Labuschagne, Renshaw and leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson before that match leaves a gaping hole in the Brisbane side and they face a huge task to cause another upset.

Tonight marks T20 great Dan Christian's final home match at the SCG for the Sixers after the 39-year-old called time on his career at the end of the season following more than 400 games and nine titles (so far) across a 17-year career in the shortest format.

He, and the Sixers, will be hoping to add one more title to the cabinet before he finishes up, with the Scorchers and a near sell-out crowd of more than 50,000 at Perth Stadium awaiting the winner of tonight's Challenger.