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Preview: Nothing less than silverware will suffice for Stars

Runners-up for the past two seasons, the Stars have beefed up their playing stocks in their search for an elusive maiden title

BBL|09 result: Runners-up

Squad: Glenn Maxwell (c), Jonny Bairstow (OS), Hilton Cartwright, Jackson Coleman, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Ben Dunk, Seb Gotch, Liam Hatcher, Clint Hinchliffe, Dilbar Hussain (OS), Zahir Khan (OS), Nick Larkin, Nic Maddinson, Lance Morris, Tom O’Connell, Nicholas Pooran (OS), Will Pucovski, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.

Ins: Billy Stanlake (Adelaide Strikers), Liam Hatcher (Sydney Thunder) Jonny Bairstow, Zahir Khan (Brisbane Heat), Nicholas Pooran, Will Pucovski.

Outs: Peter Handscomb (Hobart Hurricanes), Daniel Worrall (Strikers), Haris Rauf, Sandeep Lamichhane (Hurricanes)

Possible Best XI: Marcus Stoinis, Jonny Bairstow (OS), Nic Maddinson, Nicholas Pooran (OS), Glenn Maxwell, Hilton Cartwright, Seb Gotch (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa, Zahir Khan (OS), Billy Stanlake

Possible Best XI for first game: Marcus Stoinis, Hilton Cartwright, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dunk, Seb Gotch (wk), Clinton Hinchliffe, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa, Lance Morris/Dilbar Hussain, Billy Stanlake

It's an all too familiar build-up for the Melbourne Stars, who head in to the 10th edition of the KFC BBL as beaten finalists desperately wanting to go one better once again.

The side that has been perennially superb in the regular season and perennially disappointing in knockout games has beefed up their playing stocks after finishing BBL|09 as minor premiers.

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In comes World Cup winner Jonny Bairstow, Australian limited-overs representative Billy Stanlake, long-form prodigy Will Pucovski as well as overseas impact players in Nicholas Pooran, Zahir Khan and Dilbar Hussain.

Peter Handscomb and Sandeep Lamichhane, who have both crossed to the Hobart Hurricanes, and last summer's breakout star Haris Rauf (unavailable due to national duties with Pakistan) are the most significant losses.

If Bairstow becomes available in late December as is hoped (though his arrival has been clouded by recent speculation he may win a Test recall), expect him to form the competition's most fearsome opening duo with last season's player of the tournament, Marcus Stoinis.

The Stars benefited considerably from having Stoinis and skipper Glenn Maxwell available for all of BBL|09 as they missed national selection. The schedule has been kind to them again; with no international white-ball games on for the duration of the BBL, they should have those two plus Adam Zampa available for most of the campaign.

Biggest Hitters of the BBL: Best of Glenn Maxwell

Even with Stoinis touch and go for the start of the tournament (to be able to bowl as well as bat) after sustaining a side injury playing for Australia, the Stars are sure to have a formidable side for the bulk of the tournament as they look to atone from consecutive seasons of making the final and losing. Jackson Coleman (hamstring) is the only other injury concern for the Stars.

Coach David Hussey looks back on last season and sees their initial finals defeat to the second-placed Sydney Sixers (the eventual champions) in the 'Qualifier' match as a bigger missed opportunity rather than their rain-affected loss in the actual final the following week.

Recruiting players to suit their home ground at the MCG has been a priority, as demonstrated with the trade of quick Daniel Worrall for the speedier Stanlake in the hope the latter can bounce back from two poor seasons with the Adelaide Strikers.

Overall, their imports and local playing contingents both have considerable international experience. Yet no matter how good their team looks on paper, the burning question for Stars fans remains; will they muster their best when the heat is on?

The inside word with coach David Hussey

The off-season

"With such a long tournament, each game is vitally important but it's also important to keep your best players in their best form to take that momentum into that finals series. A focus has been how to win the big moments in finals and how to win the trophy. Hopefully this year we've got all the pieces in place to take away the silverware."

The trade

'I've underachieved': Stanlake vows to recapture his BBL best

"I've had a professional relationship with Bill (Stanlake) for a number of years – I usually just check in on how his well-being is going rather than how his cricket is going. Catching up with him in Adelaide last year and he was saying it might be time for a change, and I said, 'Would you be willing to come to the Melbourne Stars in a few years' time?', knowing full well he had an existing contract at the Strikers. He said the one thing he wanted to do was to bowl fast short balls at the MCG and that tickled our fancy at the Melbourne Stars. We approached the Strikers and they were willing to trade and we're rapt to have him."

The imports

"We've got Jonny Bairstow and Nicholas Pooran who will be available from the Boxing Day game against the Sydney Sixers onwards, which is exciting. Hopefully they're around for the MCG games because they will really entertain our home crowd. We've also got Zahir Khan who has previously played for the Heat – he should be available for the bulk of the tournament. He fits into the Melbourne Stars' strategy of bowling lots of spin and trying to take wickets in those middle overs. We've also got Dilbar Hussain, who played one game last year against the Brisbane Heat and he's really elevated his game this year and more recently in the PSL final, so we've got good depth in the fast bowling."

Player to watch

August: Bairstow equals England record with rapid fifty

"Jonny Bairstow is arguably one of the world's best white ball players. It took a lot of work to get him across the line. He's stupidly brave when it comes to batting, he plays some ridiculous ramp shots against some of the quickest bowlers in the world. He takes the bowlers on from ball one, he's just a courageous character who plays the game at 100 miles an hour. He's got a very good cricket brain and his will to win is what gets him over the line – he's almost half-Australian really, he plays the game in such a manner that he wants to win at all costs. He's going to fit in perfectly at the Melbourne Stars."

Your take on the new rules?

"I like them. It will be interesting to see how teams use the extra two overs of the Power Play through the tournament. It will force the opposition to use their best bowlers earlier which could leave them short (on overs) at the back end of the innings. The sub one (The X-Factor) is going to be interesting – it's a bit like the baseball manager walking up to the pitcher's mound and subbing them off! It's going to be tough, but it could be for the betterment of the team where you can chase the game in which you might be behind after a 10-over period. I'm not sure I'm going to use it too often but you never know. The innovation in the game is quite unique and hopefully it helps the game appeal to different people. I'm looking forward to seeing how teams use it."

Biggest threat

"I think the Perth Scorchers and the Hobart Hurricanes are going to be there and thereabouts. The Hurricanes have got pretty good talent throughout their list and play a really exciting brand of cricket. They've got some good coaching staff there. And the Scorchers, gee they've got some players in the batting department. But I think they're all going to be tough and anyone can beat anyone on their day."