Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Stars, BBLT20, Today Match Prediction 07 December 2023

BH vs MLS Match Prediction & Analysis

A new season, irrespective of the sport, is always an exciting time for fans and players alike. This latest edition of the BBL is no different particularly as there has been a reduction from 56 group stage to only 40 group stage matches and so beginning the season strongly is vitally important.

Brisbane Heat put many years of BBL failure behind them in last year's campaign but ultimately came up short when they were beaten by 5 wickets by Perth Scorchers in the final at the Perth Stadium. Can they go one step further this year?

Melbourne Stars qualified for either the semi-final or the final in eight of the first nine BBLs but their recent showings have been poor. They finished bottom of the pile in the last competition with three wins against the two teams above them their only successes.

RECENT PERFORMANCE

BH

L W W W L

PRS

178/5 in 19.2 9.21

BBL T20 2022

Perth Scorchers win by 5 wickets

04 Feb 2023

BH

175/7 in 20.0 8.75

SYS

116/9 in 20.0 5.8

BBL T20 2022

Brisbane Heat won by 4 wickets

02 Feb 2023

BH

117/6 in 18.2 6.38

MLR

162/5 in 20.0 8.1

BBL T20 2022

Brisbane Heat won by 7 wickets

29 Jan 2023

BH

164/3 in 18.5 8.71

SYT

52/1 in 6.5 7.61

BBL T20 2022

Brisbane Heat won by 8 runs (DLS Method)

27 Jan 2023

BH

203/5 in 20.0 10.15

HBH

120/9 in 20.0 6

BBL T20 2022

Hobart Hurricanes won by 2 runs

25 Jan 2023

BH

118/8 in 20.0 5.9

MLS

L L L L W

MLS

119/7 in 20.0 5.95

BBL T20 2022

Sydney Thunder won by 3 wkts

25 Jan 2023

SYT

120/7 in 18.5 6.37

BH

188/4 in 20.0 9.4

BBL T20 2022

Brisbane Heat won by 4 runs

22 Jan 2023

MLS

184/3 in 20.0 9.2

MLS

159/7 in 20.0 7.95

BBL T20 2022

Brisbane Heat won by 3 wkts

16 Jan 2023

BH

160/7 in 20.0 8

MLR

162/7 in 20.0 8.1

BBL T20 2022

14 Jan 2023

MLS

156/7 in 20.0 7.8

MLS

109/1 in 14.3 7.52

BBL T20 2022

Melbourne Stars won by 9 wkts

12 Jan 2023

ADS

108/10 in 19.2 5.59

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

Brisbane Heat Preview

Brisbane Heat's run to the final was notable for their threadbare squad performing time and again over the second half of the campaign, but this is a new season and the ers will be wondering who their new heroes will be in this tournament and in this game.

Big hitting batter Colin Munro comes fresh from the Abu Dhabi T10 where he has hit scores of 36 not out and 44 not out. The New Zealander is an experienced top performer in the BBL after previous seasons with Perth Scorchers and he returns for his second season with Heat alongside England's all-format keeper-batter Sam Billings.

Another Englishman, all-rounder Essex and Manchester Originals' Paul Walter, will make his BBL debut this year and he comes with a reputation for hitting runs at a quick rate and picking up key wickets. Michael Neser will lead the attack and he will be looking for his 100th BBL wicket in this game.

Brisbane Heat Predicted Playing XI:

Josh Brown, Usman Khawaja (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Colin Munro, Sam Billings (wk), Paul Walter, Max Bryant, Spencer Johnson, Michael Neser, Mitch Swepson, Matthew Kuhnemann

Brisbane Heat Actual Playing XI:

Michael Neser, Colin Munro, Paul Walter, Matthew Kuhnemann, Sam Billings, Xavier Bartlett, Max Bryant, Spencer Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Swepson, Marnus Labuschagne

Melbourne Stars Preview

Well, it can't get much worse than last season's efforts for Melbourne Stars and they seem to be relying on the all-conquering Glenn Maxwell's return to make the different from a bottom the table finish to being a competitive side.

That is not the most ridiculous approach to take when you consider what Glenn Maxwell, who missed out last year with his freak leg-break, has achieved over the last couple of months. He hit a not-out double hundred to save Australia from guaranteed defeat against Afghanistan in the 2023 Cricket World Cup before hitting an unbeaten century in the T20I series against India to pull off an even more unlikely victory. Not bad for a guy who was concussed after falling off the back of a golf buggy during the CWC!

Nathan Coulter-Nile is a powerful and consistent bowler who has a strong record against Usman Khawaja and will lead the bowling attack for the Stars.

Melbourne Stars Predicted Playing XI:

Sam Harper (wk), Nick Larkin, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell (c), Hilton Cartwright, Tom Rogers, Liam Dawson, Corey Rocchiccioli, Brody Couch, Haris Rauf, Usama Mir

Melbourne Stars Actual Playing XI:

Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Joel Paris, Usama Mir, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Sam Harper, Joe Burns, Hilton Cartwright, Olly Stone, Liam Dawson, Thomas Fraser Rogers

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

It will be hot throughout this Match 1 of the BBL with the humidity level climbing into the 70s by the end of the game. There is no chance of rain and the temperature will be around 25 degrees from start to finish.

BH vs MLS Pitch Report

Many a Test series has begun at the Gabba and it is great to see the famous ground kick this year's BBL off. As ever, we can expect a good batting surface with the batters having no worries about the pace or consistency of the bounce on this pitch.

Toss: To Bowl

The team batting first has come out on top in six of the last seven BBL games in Brisbane so it would be a big surprise if either skipper won the toss and elected to field first in this season opener.