The Big Bash finals get under way on Friday as five teams battle it out for title glory - Richard Mann looks back at the season so far and makes his predictions for the latter stages.
Sydney Sixers
Qualified: 1st
Sky Bet outright odds: 7/4
Story so far: Without consistently playing their best cricket so far this season, defending champions Sydney Sixers are firmly on course for their third title since the tournament began having finished top of the league table.
The Sixers' ability to pull themselves out of sticky situations has continued to serve them well and it was this trait that laid the foundations for another strong campaign; one and two-wicket victories over the Christmas period setting them on their way before winning four of their last six matches thanks to cool run chases.
Once again, Josh Philippe has led the way at the top of the order while James Vince has really found his form in recent weeks. Veteran all-rounder Dan Christian has proved an excellent acquisition and he remains one of the best finishers around, while the bowling has been highly serviceable in all conditions.
Squad summary: The return of international stars Sean Abbot and Moises Henriques has been welcome and both have hit the ground running; the former beefing up a bowling attack that has only occasionally looked vulnerable and latter slotting into the middle order and appearing to be in fine touch.
A couple of low scores from Philippe doesn't detract from what has been another fine season for him and he could easily bounce back to form in the finals, just as he did last season.
Moving Vince up to open to accommodate Henriques has proved a masterstroke but the Sixers might yet have to choose between Jackson Bird's new-ball skills and Jake Ball's ability to deliver those crucial overs at the death.
Prediction: While they might not be as sexy as some, or boast the A-list overseas stars that the likes of Perth Scorchers can, the Sixers are a fine all-round team with great balance.
Their ability to get the job done is unquestioned and you wouldn't want to be against them in a run chase. Even though they face a tough Qualifier against the Scorchers at Manuka Oval on Saturday, the Sixers get two bites of the cherry to make the final and I'd make them marginal favourites to claim title glory again.
Finals Fixtures
Eliminator
- Brisbane Heat beat Adelaide Strikers by six wickets
- Brisbane
- January 29 0815
Qualifier
- Sydney Sixers beat Perth Scorchers by nine wickets
- Canberra
- January 30 0815
Knockout
- Sydney Thunder lost to Brisbane Heat by seven wickets
- Canberra
- January 31 0815
Challenger
- Perth Scorchers beat Brisbane Heat by 49 runs (D/L method)
- TBC
- February 4 0840
Final
- Sydney Sixers beat Perth Scorchers by 27 runs
- Sydney
- February 6 0840
Perth Scorchers
Qualified: 2nd
Sky Bet outright odds: 5/4
Story so far: When Perth Scorchers were still without a win from their opening four matches of the season, claiming a fourth Big Bash title looked a long way away. Qualification for the finals via finishing fourth and fifth was still within reach, though, and it was that carrot that drove the Scorchers on a five-match winning run that put themselves firmly back in the race.
Three more victories, and a couple of slip-ups from Sydney Thunder, allowed the Scorchers to continue their surge up the table and despite losing out to Brisbane Heat on the final day of the regular season, they had still done enough to finish second in the table and set up a Qualifier meeting with the Sixers on Saturday.
Victory there would secure a home final for the Scorchers, whose pace attack revels on the quick pitches of Perth and has been brilliantly led by the competition's leading wicket-taker Jhye Richardson and ably supported by a resurgent AJ Tye.
Squad summary: Having missed the whole of the regular reason, Ashton Agar won't be fit for the finals, meaning the Scorchers will have to rely on Fawad Ahmed for spin and don't have the valuable balance that Agar brings to the side. In turn, that puts the focus on Aaron Hardie's role at number seven and the Sixers are sure to see him as a weak link in the Scorchers attack on Saturday.
The continued absence of Agar is probably one of the few negatives surrounding the Scorchers line-up, though, and a top three comprising of Jason Roy, Liam Livingstone and Colin Munro is arguably the strongest top order of any of the remaining sides in the competition.
Roy's arrival changed the whole dynamic of the team and following a series of rapid starts, there is the strong suspicion that a big, match-winning score from the England star is just around the corner. Munro has proved a shrewd signing, too, and if the Scorchers are to be stopped now, taking out that pair will be crucial.
Prediction: The Scorchers' Big Bash pedigree is unquestioned and unrivalled, and coach Adam Voges - a key component of the Scorchers team that won this title three times between 2014 and 2017 - will know exactly what is required of his men over the next week or so.
Statistically, the Scorchers boast the best bowling attack in the competition, but that owes much to the brilliance of Richardson, and whether the lack of a quality sixth-bowling option will be highlighted if he can be nullified properly remains to be seen. It would certainly put more pressure on the aforementioned Hardie.
I'd just favour the Sixers' superior balance in what should be a cracking Qualifier, but even then, the Scorchers have to believe their imposing batting line-up will be able to power them into another final via the Challenger on Thursday.
Sydney Thunder
Qualified: 3rd
Sky Bet outright odds: 5/1
Story so far: When winning six of their first seven matches, the Thunder looked certain to make the finals and highly likely to do so by finishing in the top two in the league table. In only winning three of their next seven, the Thunder ended up leaving it until the last day of the regular season to even secure qualification.
That mid-season slump might yet come back to haunt the Thunder, but captain Callum Ferguson is likely to reflect on a positive league campaign that saw his side compete hard in every game and produce some of the best cricket of the tournament - most notably when posting a Big Bash record score of 232-5 against the Sixers.
A brilliant hundred from pre-tournament selection Alex Hales underpinned that total and his 535 runs mean he is currently the leading runscorer in the competition this term, while Ferguson, Sam Billings and Ben Cutting have pulled their weight with the bat, too.
On the bowling front, leg spinner Tanveer Sangha has been a revelation while rookie paceman Brendan Doggett has really impressed since replacing the injured Daniel Sams.
Squad summary: While Doggett has bowled beautifully since coming into the starting XI, the couple of injuries picked up by Sams has hurt the Thunder badly and they will be desperate to see him passed fit for the finals. The signs are positive for Sams and his destructive batting and brilliant death bowling would provide Ferguson with much-needed balance and genuine star quality.
As ever, much will depend on a top three that has become too reliant on Hales, following the struggles of Usman Khawaja. If the latter can come good for the finals, that will be a huge fillip to a middle order that can be brutally destructive in the Power Surge, but less so when required to repair early damage and play with caution and responsibly.
Sams' expected return shouldn't push Doggett out of the picture, but the possibility of facing Adelaide Strikers and a batting line-up packed full of left-handers in the Knockout on Sunday might leave Ferguson and coach Shane Bond with a big call to make over the aforementioned Sangha. Off spinner Arjun Nair might just be a safer bet against the Strikers.
Prediction: The Thunder will surely be kicking themselves for not securing their place in the top two, and thus giving themselves two chances to make the final a week on Saturday. For them to lift the trophy now, they will, in all probability, need to produce three consecutive matches of perfect cricket.
Still, with Hales evidently a man on a mission at present and a powerful middle order just begging for the likes of Khawaja and Ferguson to set up the game for them, the Thunder are patently capable of beating anyone on their day. In downing both the Sixers and Scorchers already this term, they have proved just that.
The downside to them is the lack of experience in their bowling attack, Sams apart, and obvious reliance on Hales, but outside of the big two, they appeal as the most likely to spring a surprise and 5/1 might still underestimate their immense potential.
I'm already with the Thunder to win the title at 10/1, and at 5/1 to reach the final, so can't justify another bet on them at this stage, but I dearly hope this exciting outfit are ready to take the next step in their continued development.
Brisbane Heat
Qualified: 4th
Sky Bet outright odds: 14/1
Story so far: The Heat spent much of the early part of the season conspiring to lose matches they really ought to have won, before then losing captain Chris Lynn to a hamstring injury.
Things looked bleak for the Heat at that point, but they have rallied manfully with Lynn's return to fitness and Marnus Labuschagne, Joe Burns and Mitch Swepson joining back up with the squad following international commitments.
With Labuschagne, Burns and Joe Denly adding solidity to a previously fragile middle order, Lynn has the freedom to go hard at the top of the order and he has responded in wonderful fashion; blasting 420 runs in only ten matches and again top scoring in Heat's crucial victory over the Scorchers on Tuesday.
While the bowling attack lent too heavily on Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the early part of the campaign, Jack Wildermuth has continued to prove a threat with the new ball while Mark Steketee and Xavier Bartlett have been reliable enough at the death.
Squad summary: The batting order finally looks settled and solid with Lynn and Max Bryant tasked with providing the early fireworks before the middle order controls the rest of the innings and tries to ensure the collapses that have blighted the Heat in the past don't return in the finals.
The bowling isn't as strong, however, with Ben Laughlin not looking the force of old and Morne Morkel hardly playing so far this season. With Friday's Eliminator pitching leg spinners Swepson and Labuschagne against the Strikers' army of left handers, the Heat could really find themselves under the pump in the middle overs in that one and might need to rethink their strategy.
With that in mind, Lynn will be banking on Wildermuth doing some early damage with the new cherry while hoping his own excellent form can continue.
Prediction: If Friday's Eliminator were a boxing match, the Heat would be the big puncher and the Strikers the smaller man, blessed with the silky skills but less of a knockout blow.
That's certainly how this one looks on paper and the Heat will need big hitters Lynn and Labuschagne to make their mark, given their own bowling attack doesn't look a good fit against a Strikers batting unit lacking in a little bit of power but laced with the left handers capable of countering the Heat's leg spin threat.
Were the Heat to get through to Sunday's Knockout, that would set up a clash with the Thunder and a dust-up between two muscular batting units that might suit Lynn's outfit.