Melbourne Cricket Ground is ready to host an exciting match melbourne stars launch their BBL|15 campaign against the defending champions, Hobart HurricaneOn Thursday.
The stars are determined to rewrite the script after the ups and downs of the last season. After a horror start in BBL|14, they entered the finals with five consecutive wins, but fell short in the knockouts. Captain Marcus Stoinis knows his team cannot afford another slow start, especially on home soil. The spotlight remains firmly in place glen maxwell“Big Show” had a tremendous performance last summer, scoring 325 runs at a strike rate close to 187, To support the batting firepower, the Stars have strengthened their attack; Haris Rauf’s raw pace combined with Peter Siddle’s wicket-taking reliability gives him a real cutting edge that was certainly lacking in previous years,
They face a Hobart team which has forgotten losing. The Hurricanes have won 10 of their last 11 BBL games, including their title win and a tense last-over win against Sydney Thunder earlier this season. While veterans Ben McDermott and Tim David lead the batting, Hobart’s strength lies in their depth. Nikhil Chaudhary and Mitchell Owen played an important role in their initial victory, which proved that they are not dependent on just one star. With an attack led by Chris Jordan and Billy Stanlake, the Hurricanes arrived in Melbourne not only as champions, but as clear early favorites to go back-to-back.
MS vs HH, BBL|15: Match Details
- date and time: 18 December (Thursday); 1:45 PM IST / 8:15 AM GMT / 7:15 PM local
- venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
MS vs HH, head-to-head record in BBL
Matches played: 22 | Melbourne Stars won: 14 | Hobart Hurricanes won: 08 | No result/tied: 0
melbourne cricket ground pitch report
The iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground is set to provide a classic, evenly competitive surface for BBL|15 Match 5, promising a fair battle where neither bat nor ball will have total dominance. Fans can expect pitches with similar bounce and reliable carries, conditions that traditionally produce first innings totals in the competitive 160–180 range. While the strip generally starts right, inviting batsmen to rely on the bounce and play through the line, the MCG’s vast square boundaries ensure that intelligent placement and specific fitness are given the same importance as brutal power-clearing ability.
For bowlers, the surface favors fast bowlers who can consistently hit hard lengths and utilize subtle variations of pace, especially under lights where a hint of seam movement often keeps the batsmen honest. Although recent history suggests that spinners play a secondary role to fast bowlers here, the sheer size of the ground allows disciplined slow bowlers to restrict scoring if they vary their pace effectively. Historically, this venue is a bit favorable for teams chasing, yet recent encounters between these two teams have proven that modest scores like 156-170 can be defended with aggressive fielding and tactical discipline.
Squad:
Melbourne Stars: Thomas Fraser Rogers, Joe Clarke, Sam Harper (wk), Marcus Stoinis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Hilton Cartwright, Tom Curran, Liam Hatcher, Harris Rauf, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Swepson, Aryan Sharma, Jonathan Merlo, Campbell Kellaway.
Hobart Hurricane: Mitchell Owen, Nikhil Chaudhary, Ben McDermott, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk), Rehan Ahmed, Chris Jordan, Nathan Ellis (c), Rishad Hussain, Riley Meredith, Billy Stanlake, Will Prestwitz, Tim Ward, Jackson Bird
ms vs hhBBL|15: Prediction for today’s match
Case 1:
- Melbourne Stars won the toss and bowled first
- Hobart Hurricanes Powerplay Score: 50-60
- Hobart Hurricanes Total Score: 180-190
Case 2:
- Hobart Hurricanes won the toss and bowled first
- Melbourne Stars Powerplay Score: 40-50
- Melbourne Stars total score: 160-170
Match result: The team batting second wins the competition.
Also read: BBL|15 – Chris Jordan shines as Hobart Hurricanes beat Sydney Thunder in a last-over thriller
