Big Bash League 2019 Match 27, Adelaide Strikers vs Sydney Sixers: Preview, likely XIs, predictions

We’re bang in the middle of the BBL 9 season, and this is one of those clashes that can go a long way towards strengthening the position of teams in the knockout positions. When Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Sixers clash on Wednesday, 8 January, the winning side will have a chance to strengthen their position in the battle for the top spots.

The Sixers are currently No.2 on the table, with five wins from seven matches. They’re level with top-of-the-table Melbourne Stars on 10 points, and a victory in this match can help them move up to the top spot, even if temporarily.

Then there is Adelaide. They have won three of their six matches so far, and given there was a no-result as well, they have seven points, three behind the top two. A victory here will help them not just close the gap on Sydney, but also build a lead over Sydney Thunder, at No.4, and the rest of the chasing pack attempting to seal knockout spots.

In one of the peculiarities of the fixture list, the two sides met just three days back in the corresponding clash, and on that occasion, it was the Sixers who won, by a comfortable seven wickets at that. Adelaide posted a decent 176/6, but their bowlers couldn’t do their bit, and Joshua Phillippe’s 52-ball 83* set the chase up for the Sixers.

Adelaide will need their bowlers to be tighter this time around. The Sixers have been a highly-impressive unit this season, but the Strikers can yet turn a corner – it is around this time that the good teams usually do.

Head to head

The Sixers and the Strikers have, in all, clashed 11 times in the BBL. The rivalry is fairly even – the Sixers have won six times, and the Strikers have been victorious in the other five matches.

Key players

Rashid Khan (Adelaide Strikers): The wily Afghanistan spinner is Adelaide’s big hope this season. He did his beat when the teams met three days back, returning 1/34, but lack of support from the other bowlers didn’t help Adelaide’s case. Khan will have to take matters into his own hands.

Joshua Phillipe (Sydney Sixers): The wicketkeeper-batsman has been in stellar form this season – he has 256 runs in seven matches at 51.2, and is No.2 on the run charts. He was a big reason why Sydney won their previous clash, and he will be counted on again to see off Adelaide.

Likely XIs

Adelaide Strikers: Phil Salt, Jake Weatherald, Alex Carey (c/wk), Jonathan Wells, Cameron White, Matthew Short, Michael Nesser, Rashid Khan, Peter Siddle, Harry Conway, Billy Stanlake

Sydney Sixers: Joshue Phillippe (wk), Justin Avendano, Daniel Hughes (c), James Vince, Tom Curran, Jordan Silk, Jack Edwards, Ben Dwarshuis, Jackson Bird, Josh Hazlewood, Lloyd Pope

Prediction

Sixers to win and close the gap at the top.