The Scorchers and Stars face off for top spot ahead of a sudden-death clash between the Heat and Sixers
Playoffs arrive early in BBL|15 with top spot, finals on the line
The playoffs have arrived a few days early in KFC BBL|15 with Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Stars to battle it out for top spot at Optus Stadium on Saturday night.
Brisbane Heat and Sydney Sixers will then face off in a sudden-death finale to the regular season 24 hours later with the winner to progress to the finals series and the loser eliminated from the championship race.
Kiwi blaster Finn Allen's maiden Big Bash century set up the blockbuster final weekend of the home-and-away campaign as he led the Scorchers to a 50-run thumping of the Renegades last night, which confirmed the Melbourne side would miss the finals for the sixth time in seven seasons.
Saturday's winner of the Scorchers-Stars clash will leapfrog Hobart Hurricanes and top the BBL|15 regular-season standings, earning a home ground advantage and a double-chance in the finals.
The winner will also be guaranteed of hosting two home finals.
But the loser will be handed a more difficult path to the title, thrust into a third-versus-fourth knockout contest.
"If we can have a home one-v-two (final), I think that's massive for us," Allen said following his splendid 101 from 53 balls featuring eight sixes.
"It will be good for the crowd too."
Qualification scenarios
Hobart Hurricanes
– The Hurricanes will finish second if the Sixers lose at least one of their remaining two matches.
– Could finish as low as fourth if Sixers win both matches and the Scorchers-Stars clash is washed out.
Perth Scorchers & Melbourne Stars
– Winner of the Scorchers-Stars match on Saturday will finish first.
– The loser will finish third if the Sixers lose at least one of their remaining two matches, or fourth if the Sixers win both matches.
Brisbane Heat
– The Heat will qualify for finals if they beat the Sixers on Sunday.
Sydney Sixers
– The Sixers will play finals if they win their last match of the regular season against the Heat.
– The Sixers will finish in the top two if they beat both the Thunder (tonight) and Heat (Sunday).
The Stars, led by this season's top run-scorer Sam Harper, are desperate for success as the only BBL club still without a title to their name.
"They're a proper, well-rounded side, so I think they'll be extremely competitive on Saturday," Allen said.
"We'll fly back (to Perth), rest up and go again.
"I'm pretty confident in our boys; we've got a pretty competitive squad and 'Ingo' (Josh Inglis) coming back in on Saturday bolsters that."
Inglis was rested from the win over the Renegades with an eye to next month's T20 World Cup, while Allen also dismissed any injury concerns for he and Scorchers teammate Mitch Marsh ahead their high stakes clash with the Stars.
Allen and Marsh put on a 64-run opening stand to power the Scorchers to 7-219 against the 'Gades, which was four runs shy of the record BBL total at Marvel Stadium.
But the pair didn't field after the innings break, with Allen explaining that he had cramped in his left hamstring, while Australia's T20 skipper had copped a ball to his left heel running between the wickets during his knock of 20 off 15.
"I had a little bit of a hammy niggle on this side in Hobart earlier in the year, so it was just a little bit of a scare," Allen said.
"It was just cramp, but I didn't want to take the risk.
"(Marsh's) was just an external blow to the heel like we saw in the footage. I think he'll be OK."
The Sixers also remain in the running for a top two finish and can also jump the Hurricanes with victories in their final two games of the regular season against the Thunder and Heat respectively.
Regardless of whether they win or lose against the Thunder at the SCG tonight, their clash with the Heat at the Gabba on Sunday night with determine who qualifies for the finals.
"The guys have been playing well in the last few games and building momentum towards the back end – that's the key in tournament play, to be playing your best cricket at the back end," said returning Australian and Sixers star Steve Smith.
"Hopefully, we can get some results in the next two games."
Smith's Test teammate Mitchell Starc will play those two games as well as finals should the Sixers qualify, ending a decade-long absence from the Big Bash for the destructive left-armer.
"It's always great to have him playing in any team, he's bowling like an absolute wizard at the moment," Smith said.
"Looking forward to him coming out here and playing; I know he's really excited so it should be good fun."
– with AAP
KFC BBL|15 standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
HUR
|
10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0.331 | 0 | 13 |
|
2
SCO
|
9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.319 | 0 | 12 |
|
3
STA
|
9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.031 | 0 | 12 |
|
4
HEA
|
9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -0.375 | 0 | 10 |
|
5
SIX
|
8 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0.458 | 0 | 9 |
|
6
STR
|
9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -0.625 | 0 | 6 |
|
7
REN
|
9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -0.91 | 0 | 6 |
|
8
THU
|
9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | -1.182 | 0 | 4 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points