The BBL12 finals race heating up in the last week of the regular season

The Thunder, who have the lowest net run rate of the three teams, are in last place with 10 points and will be hoping that their inconsistent season picks up in their final three games. With a Sydney derby and matches against the two Melbourne teams awaiting them, all of those are winnable. After playing their crosstown rivals on the road on Saturday night, they will start their quest to regain the top five on Thursday in Canberra against the Renegades. To ensure that their match against the Stars at the MCG, the season finale of the BBL|12, is a live event, they must win at least one of those games. The Thunder went on a four-game winning streak after losing their first three games of the season, including the notorious surrender for 15 in which they appeared to be the main rivals to the Sixers and Scorchers. They will need to take swift action, though, if they are to win their fourth straight finals series, as they have now suffered another three straight losses.

The Heat are still in the running for the championship after two straight victories, and with two games remaining against the Hurricanes—to whom they are only one point behind—their future is largely in their own hands. Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, and Matthew Renshaw have just been added to their lineup, and Renshaw was the hero on Monday against the Stars. Michael Neser has consistently displayed good ball control throughout the season. Josh Brown’s X-factor has been a highlight, with the explosive opener occasionally lighting up the Gabba, but the Heat have found it difficult to regularly record winning totals. Their victory over the Stars last night was a nice first step, and their rematch with them this coming Sunday will also be important, but their fate will eventually be decided by their two matches with the Hurricanes.

Even though there would still have been much work to be done, the Stars’ choice to rest Nathan Coulter-Nile in their last-over loss to the Renegades last Saturday may have been detrimental to their chances of making the finals. After a difficult season without captain Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis for a significant portion, the Stars’ chances of making the finals are all but dead with only two games left to play and them lying four points off of the top five Final Race for BBL12. Their batting lineup had too much to make up for without the famous duo, and only English recruit Joe Clarke was among the leading run scorers in the league. Luke Wood, an Englishman, has been effective with the ball, taking 17 wickets. His teammates haven’t been able to make enough meaningful contributions to help them in their quest to qualify for the playoffs. They get a second opportunity on Sunday against the Heat, and their final matchup is against the Thunder the following Wednesday in a matchup similar to the exhilarating one that started BBL|12.

KFC BBL|12