Only one change between the two competing teams in their knockout match at the 'G
Stars, Thunder name squads for The Challenger
Sydney Thunder could be without their first-choice wicketkeeper Jay Lenton for their KFC BBL Challenger Final against the Stars after both sides revealed their squads for the must-win clash on Thursday night.
Lenton and partner Gemma are expecting the birth of their first child "any day", forcing the Thunder to recall wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Gilkes into their 13-man squad.
Wrist-spinner Liam Bowe drops out of the squad.
Gilkes has played nine matches for the Thunder in BBL|09, with his best of 41 off 35 balls coming against the Stars in a six-wicket loss in Melbourne last month.
The Thunder enter tomorrow's match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with all the momentum having won their past three games to sneak into the finals in fifth place before upsetting Hobart Hurricanes and Adelaide Strikers away from home.
Conversely, the Stars have suffered a slump in form at the wrong time, losing their past four games.
After finishing the regular season in first place with 10 wins from 14 matches, the Stars lost their Qualifying Final against second-placed Sydney Sixers to relinquish the chance of hosting the Final on Saturday.
Fortunately for the Stars, the new-look BBL finals system introduced this season affords the top two teams a second chance should they lose in their first finals match.
Glenn Maxwell's side has named an unchanged squad to face the Thunder, a team they have beaten in their past three encounters.
There is everything to play for, with winner advancing to Saturday's Final at the Sydney Cricket Ground against the Sixers.
While the Stars might be on a four-game losing streak, Thunder allrounder Daniel Sams is not taking the 'minor premiers' lightly.
"With the Stars, whether they have been winning or losing, they're still a world-class team," Sams said.
"They've got a lot of really good players, obviously, but we're glad we've got momentum."
Melbourne Stars: Glenn Maxwell (c), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Ben Dunk, Seb Gotch, Peter Handscomb, Clint Hinchliffe, Dilbar Hussain, Nick Larkin, Nic Maddinson, Haris Rauf, Marcus Stoinis, Daniel Worrall, Adam Zampa
Sydney Thunder: Callum Ferguson (c), Jonathan Cook, Brendan Doggett, Matthew Gilkes, Alex Hales, Usman Khawaja, Jay Lenton, Nathan McAndrew, Chris Morris, Arjun Nair, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Chris Tremain