The race for the final spot in the top four is on with the Stars needing to beat the Hurricanes to play finals
BBL|14 finals race: Stars, Scorchers hopes hinge on last game
Hobart will host the KFC BBL|14 Qualifier on Tuesday night against Sydney Sixers at Ninja Stadium after a washed-out Sydney Smash locked the top spot for the Hurricanes.
The result also means Sydney Thunder will host the Knockout the following evening as they remain in third spot.
But the race for the last spot in the top four will go down to the final game of the home-and-away season, with the Scorchers and Stars remaining in contention.
After four wins in a row, Melbourne Stars will incredibly qualify for the BBL|14 finals if they beat the Hurricanes on Sunday at the MCG. Given the Hurricanes form, that'll be no mean feat.
KFC BBL|14 standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
HUR
|
9 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.135 | 0 | 15 |
|
2
SIX
|
10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.156 | 0 | 14 |
|
3
THU
|
10 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0.34 | 0 | 12 |
|
4
SCO
|
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0.219 | 0 | 8 |
|
5
REN
|
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0.139 | 0 | 8 |
|
6
STA
|
9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | -0.073 | 0 | 8 |
|
7
HEA
|
10 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | -0.831 | 0 | 7 |
|
8
STR
|
10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | -0.122 | 0 | 6 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points
Check out our team-by-team guide below to see what your club needs to do to reach the top four.
1. Hobart Hurricanes (15 points) 🔒
Remaining games
January 19 v Stars (MCG)
A win over the Heat on Thursday, their seventh win in a row, which is a club record in the BBL, had secured the Hurricanes a top two spot. Caleb Jewell stepped up on Thursday with an impressive 76 in their win over the Heat where the Hurricanes chased down 6-201 to win by five wickets.
Friday's Sydney Smash ending without a result further cemented their spot on the top, giving them the hosting rights for Tuesday night's Qualifier irrespective of what happens in their final home-and-away match against the Stars on Sunday.
2. Sydney Sixers (14 points) 🔒
The Sixers' hopes of finishing on top and hosting the Qualifier were washed away by the rain as Friday's Sydney Smash ended without a result, leaving them with 14 points from their 10 games – one behind the Hurricanes, who still have a game to go.
They will now face the Hurricanes at Ninja Stadium on Tuesday with a spot and hosting rights for the Final up for grabs.
3. Sydney Thunder (13 points) 🔒
A huge win over the Scorchers at home on Monday night secured the Thunder's place in the BBL|14 finals, a remarkable turnaround from a year earlier where they finished bottom of the standings with only one win. However, the washed-out Sydney Smash at the SCG on Friday took away their chance to fight for a top two finish and a double chance in the playoffs.
David Warner's leadership and form with the bat has been instrumental in the Thunder overcoming a series of injuries and finishing third in the home-and-away season with as many as six players from their original 18-man squad sidelined at various times. They will now host the Knockout against the fourth-placed team at the Engie Stadium on Wednesday, 22 January.
4. Perth Scorchers (8 points)
The Scorchers have given themselves a chance to sneak through to the finals by defeating the Strikers with a big-enough margin to jump into fourth place. By chasing the Strikers' 161 in fewer than 18 overs, Scorchers broke their losing streak of four games and overtook the Renegades on the net run-rate (NRR). They are dependent on the outcome of the final game of the home-and-away season, needing the Hurricanes to eliminate the Stars.
It will be remarkable if the Scorchers are able to qualify with just eight points after hitting a rough patch of four consecutive losses in the middle of the season. They've also been on the wrong side of the comings and goings from Australia's Test squad this summer with key players Jhye Richardson and Josh Inglis both missing matches due to national duties, while Mitch Marsh stayed in Perth to rest after his solitary appearance against the Renegades. Richardson and Inglis are now out for the rest of the season due to injuries.
If the result of Sunday's game doesn't fall their way, it'll be just the third time on the league's 14-year history that the Scorchers haven't qualified for finals.
5. Melbourne Renegades (8 points) ❌
The Renegades somehow managed to stay in hunt after chasing down Heat's 196 at the Marvel Stadium on Saturday, eliminating the defending champions in the process. Batting sensation Jake Fraser-McGurk found his form after a tough season to fire a 95 off 46.
However, their relief lasted only a few hours as the Scorchers defeated the Strikers and improved their NRR to jump over the Renegades, thereby eliminating them from the race. With this result, the Renegades will miss the finals for a fifth time in six seasons since winning the BBL|08 title.
6. Melbourne Stars (8 points)
Remaining games
January 19 v Hurricanes (MCG)
The Stars miracle finals hopes are back in their control after the Heat's slip up against the Hurricanes. Beat the Hurricanes on Sunday and the Stars are in, which would be a first finals appearance in five seasons. It's hard to believe that after losing their first five games of BBL|14 the Stars would be in this position but a remarkable turnaround to win four straight – as well as teams around them continuing to stumble – sees the dream still alive.
If they lose, the Scorchers will seal the fourth spot.
That horror run of five straight losses to start the season had left the Stars with less than a 4 per cent chance of reaching the finals and needing to win their final five home-and-away matches to stay in the hunt. And they've surged back into contention by winning four of those to jump into fourth place. Glenn Maxwell has been leading their fightback and has followed his entertaining half-century against the Sixers with an outrageous knock of 90 against the Renegades to rescue the Stars after a top-order collapse. Maxwell hit all 81 runs in the eighth-wicket partnership with Usama Mir, laying the foundation of a 42-run win that's given them a major lift on the ladder.
7. Brisbane Heat (7 points) ❌
The Heat's hopes of defending their crown came to an end with their loss to the Renegades at the Marvel Stadium on Saturday. Despite putting a massive 196 on board, the Heat bowlers failed to defend it as Renegades' Jake Fraser-McGurk made a stunning return to form to blow them away.
It made the Heat the first side to be eliminated from the finals race.
8. Adelaide Strikers (6 points) ❌
The Strikers have been eliminated from the finals race after their five-wicket loss to the Scorchers at the Optus Stadium. The Strikers posted 161 and needed to restrict their opponents less than 146 to stay alive in the competition. However, they allowed the home team to get to the target with 22 balls to spare to finish the season as the wooden-spooners.