BBL finals race: The run home for each club

With just four points separating the teams currently occupying from second to sixth spots on the KFC BBL ladder, there is going to be plenty at stake in the final week of the regular season.

BBL|10 concludes with a festival of Big Bash cricket, a triple-header of games that will go a long way to deciding the final positions of teams heading into the finals, including a coveted top-two spot.

Here's a reminder of the BBL's five-team finals schedule and a club-by-club look at each team and what they can expect over the next week.

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BBL|10 Finals Series

(venues TBC)

Friday Jan 29: The Eliminator (Fourth v Fifth)

Saturday Jan 30: The Qualifier (First v Second)

Sunday Jan 31: The Knockout (Third v Winner of The Eliminator)

Thurs Feb 4: The Challenger (Loser of The Qualifier v Winner of The Knockout)

Sat Feb 6: The Final (Winner of The Qualifier v Winner of The Challenger)

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1st: Sydney Sixers (32 points)

Played: 11 | Won: 8 | Lost: 3 | Bash Boost points: 8 | NRR: 0.554

The run home

Jan 22 v Thunder @ Adelaide Oval

Jan 24 v Hurricanes @ MCG

Jan 26 v Stars @ MCG

The reigning champions have identified themselves as the team to beat again in BBL|10, sitting well clear at the top of the tree with 32 points from their 11 games, including eight Bash Boost bonus points. The only team so far confirmed to play in the Finals, and if they weren't already going well enough the squad is bolstered this week by the returns of Sean Abbott and Moises Henriques, who will be champing at the bit to get stuck in having warmed the pine with Australia's Test side since early December. And, pending fitness, Mitchell Starc is looming for a return in their finals campaign too. The team has been in fine form with Josh Philippe in sensational touch at the top of the order, and solid all-round contributions throughout the side.

2nd: Perth Scorchers (24 points)

Played: 11 | Won: 6 | Lost: 4 | NR: 1 | BB pts: 4 | NRR: 0.974

The run home

Jan 22 v Hurricanes @ Marvel Stadium

Jan 23 v Stars @ MCG

Jan 26 v Heat @ Adelaide Oval

It was a slow start to BBL|10 for the men from the west but, look out, they are coming home with a wet sail. A block of home games at Optus Stadium really sparked them into life, and their three internationals have been getting the job done with the bat with Jason Roy, Liam Livingstone and Colin Munro all firing at different points. They still possess one of the most potent attacks with the ball as well, led by international-class quicks Jhye Richardson, Jason Behrendorff and Andrew Tye. There's hardly a weak link in this team and with Mitch Marsh to come back as a batsman only at some point from his side strain, the competition will be on notice.

3rd: Melbourne Stars (24 points)

Played: 12 | Won: 5 | Lost: 6 | NR: 1 | BB pts: 7 | NRR: 0.240

The run home

Jan 23 v Scorchers @ MCG

Jan 26 v Sixers @ MCG

Write off the Melbourne Stars at your peril, although it has been a turbulent season for David Hussey's green machine. They've been unsettled by a revolving door of international imports – Jonny Bairstow pulled out before the season even began, while Nicholas Pooran, Haris Rauf and Dilbar Hussain have all been and gone, while Andre 'Spiceman' Fletcher's last game will be against the Scorchers. On top of that, Ben Dunk quit the club mid-season, by mutual consent. It leaves the Stars with Zahir Khan as their only international for the BBL Finals but with the likes of Nick Larkin and Nic Maddinson hitting form, plus the ever dangerous presence of Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa and a fit-again Nathan Coulter-Nile, they still have plenty of ammunition. A shock loss to the Renegades on Wednesday left them teetering, and if they don't get it right with two cut-throat games to finish out the season, could even slip completely out of the top five. Helping their cause, they will be on home turf at the MCG for their final two matches, and their seven Bash Boost points so far could prove decisive.

4th: Sydney Thunder (23 points)

Played: 11 | Won: 6 | Lost: 5 | BB pts: 5 | NRR: 0.919

The run home

Jan 22 v Sixers @ Adelaide Oval

Jan 24 v Strikers @ Adelaide Oval

Jan 25 v Strikers @ Adelaide Oval

The Sydney Thunder were the form team in the early season but have just let things slip a little in recent times. They've lost four of their past five matches, including the past three on the trot, and will be desperate to turn that around against cross-town rivals the Sixers on Friday night. The Thunder have set up camp in the South Australian capital for their run home, and will then face the Adelaide Strikers twice on back-to-back nights and a couple of positive results should have them secure in the five before the inevitable final-day drama. But if they can't reverse their fortunes, it could be a very nervous January 26. Alex Hales and Usman Khawaja have been supreme at the top of the order, but the Thunder will sorely miss allrounder Daniel Sams for these final three games (at least) with a hand injury after an awkward fall in their loss to Hobart. Whatever this season brings, they've shown they'll be a team to watch, with young leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha and batsman Ollie Davies having exploded onto the Big Bash scene

5th: Hobart Hurricanes (23 points)

Played: 11 | Won: 6 | Lost: 5 | BB pts: 5 | NRR: -0.117

The run home

Jan 22 v Scorchers @ Marvel Stadium

Jan 24 v Sixers @ MCG

Jan 26 v Renegades @ MCG

The big news for the Hobart Hurricanes is the return of Matthew Wade to rekindle his opening partnership with D'Arcy Short for the club's final three matches of the season. Wade didn't look particularly out of touch during the Test summer, but never put together the big score Australia needed against India, while Short has been oddly quiet with the bat for most of BBL|10. A reunion could be just the tonic both players need to come to life. The Hurricanes recruited heavily, and well, in the off-season, and Tim David has been a revelation as a big-hitting middle order finisher, alongside the veteran assuredness of Peter Handscomb, all of which has allowed Ben McDermott to move back up the order where he's been so prolific Shane Warne has put him in the conversation for a spot in Australia's Test XI. With Riley Meredith and Nathan Ellis leading the pace-attack, ably backed up by Scott Boland, and spin from Sandeep Lamicchane, the Hurricanes could do some damage come the Finals.

6th: Brisbane Heat (21 points)

Played: 11 | Won: 5 | Lost: 6 | BB pts: 6 | NRR: -0.126

The run home

Today v Strikers @ Adelaide Oval

Jan 23 v Renegades @ Marvel Stadium

Jan 26 v Scorchers @ Adelaide Oval

Ah, Brisbane. Hot one minute, ice cold the next. You never really know what you're going to get with the Heat, but it's never anything less than entertaining. One of the few teams to knock off the Sydney Sixers this summer, they've also bombed badly at times – including losing 7-19 in 29 balls against the Perth Scorchers in their last start. Chris Lynn remains their talisman, and he's scored 300 runs from only seven appearances this season, hampered by a hamstring injury. And Mark Steketee is among the competition's leading wicket-takers with 18 scalps from his nine games. Having welcomed back Joe Burns after his mid-series Test axing, they now have leg-spinner Mitch Swepson and Marnus Labuschagne back in the fold for their final three regular season games. The form of Labuschagne will be fascinating to watch – he has little T20 pedigree to speak of, having only faced 97 deliveries for as many runs in 10 matches – but his talent could be the catalyst to fire the Heat. Last summer they entered their final game on a hot streak, needing to knock off the last-placed Renegades to secure a finals berth, only to lose 10-36 in a spectacular collapse. Can they avoid a repeat in BBL|10 and return to the Finals?

7th: Adelaide Strikers (20 points)

Played: 11 | Won: 5 | Lost: 6 | BB pts: 5 | NRR: -0.205

The run home

Today v Heat @ Adelaide Oval

Jan 24 v Thunder @ Adelaide Oval

Jan 25 v Thunder @ Adelaide Oval

The return of Test discard Travis Head will be sweet succour for both player and team ahead of their three final matches, all to be played at home. The Strikers also get the services of Michael Neser, another who has been confined to net bowling and drinks running duties with Australia's Test team and will no doubt relish being back in the thick of the action. Head's return will be vital to the Strikers' hopes of forcing their way into the finals series. They were bowled out for an embarrassing 68 last start and with Head now joining a top order of Alex Carey, Phil Salt, Matthew Renshaw and Jonathan Wells, the Strikers suddenly look like a post-season team. But make no mistake, losing Rashid Khan to international duties has been a killer blow. Wes Agar has been superb (17 wickets in 11 matches), and Peter Siddle will also be a welcome return alongside Neser for their back-to-back showdown with the Thunder.

8th: Melbourne Renegades (13 points)

Played: 12 | Won: 3 | Lost: 9 | BB pts: 4 | NRR: -1.964

The run home

Jan 23 v Heat @ Marvel Stadium

Jan 26 v Hurricanes @ MCG

The only team officially out of the BBL|10 Finals race, the Renegades are playing for pride, motivated by spoiling the party for other teams. They did that to perfection to cross-town rivals the Melbourne Stars on Wednesday night, and while wins in their final two games may not even be enough to lift them from the wooden spoon, it would almost certainly spoil the finals hopes of the Heat and the Hurricanes. Shaun Marsh has been brilliant, again, but Aaron Finch has endured a rotten run of luck with a series of luckless outs, while the squad has also been beset by injuries. Noor Ahmed, Rilee Rossouw, James Pattinson and Kane Richardson have all been ruled out with injury in the closing stages of the tournament, while Mohammed Nabi left for international duty just as he was hitting his straps. On the flip side, it's been a chance for some young guns to really make a mark, chief among them Mackenzie Harvey. Having shown off his prodigious talent in the field with a grab-of-the-season contender, Harvey showed he's got impressive skills with the bat too to flip Wednesday's derby script and put the Renegades in a winning position. Along with Jake Fraser-McGurk and Peter Hatzoglou, the club is getting experience into their young players.