Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Sixers: match preview & more related news here

Babar Azam graces the MCG as Stars and Sixers renew fierce rivalry

Match details

WHO: Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Sixers

That: Match 27, KFC BBL|15

Where: MCG, Melbourne

When: Thursday, January 8. Bat toss at 6:30 pm AEDT, first ball at 7:15 pm AEDT

How to watch: Channel seven, 7plus, Fox Cricket, Kayo Sports

Hear: ABC, SEN Radio. Listen in standard and in real time without delay to play live through Cricket Radio on CA Live app. Find out more here

Buy tickets: Tickets are on sale here.

Live results: match center

Summary, news and reactions after the game: cricket.com.au, CA Live and Big Bash apps

Officials: Drew Crozier and Mitch Claydon (field), Mike Graham-Smith (third), Bede Sajowitz (fourth), Bob Parry (match referee)

Match teams

Melbourne Stars: Marcus Stoinis (c), Hilton Cartwright, Tom Curran, Sam Hain, Sam Harper, Liam Hatcher, Campbell Kellaway, Glenn Maxwell, Blake Macdonald, Hamish McKenzie, Haris Rauf, Tom Rogers, Peter Siddle, Mitch Swepson

Unchanged

The Stars take an unchanged squad into their second MCG game in five days, after losing to the Renegades in the Melbourne Derby on January 4.

Sydney Sixers: Moisés Henriques (c), Sean Abbott, Babar Azam, Sam Curran, Joel Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Ben Manenti, Mitch Perry, Josh Philippe, Lachlan Shaw, Jordan Silk

Tickets: Sam Curran Departures: Kane Richardson (omitted)

World Cup-winning all-rounder Sam Curran joins the BBL for the first time, fresh from a man-of-the-match win in the ILT20 final for the Desert Vipers. Curran scored 74* in the final, ranking No. 4 and will add significant all-around depth for the Sixers. The Englishman is available for the Sixers for the remainder of the season home and away.

Curran was selected as a platinum player in the second round (14th pick) of the 2025 BBL Draft.

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Players to watch

Peter Siddle (Stars): The evergreen quick took three wickets during their victory over the Sixers at the SCG on Boxing Day and another two when they beat them during their final encounter at the MCG last season. With 12 wickets in BBL|15, Siddle leads the Stars alongside Haris Rauf (12) this season and the 41-year-old shows no signs of slowing down.

Joel Davies (Sixers): The 22-year-old all-rounder’s two wickets and a career-best 35 that failed to take the Sixers over the finish line in a low-scoring thriller against the Heat were the defining moment of Davies’ Big Bash. He’s made the most of his limited opportunities in his Sixers career so far (14 games), and has also produced the best bowling numbers of his career this season (3-24), so could this be the catalyst for him to take the competition by storm?

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Local knowledge

Quick stats

• Melbourne Stars won their last home game against Sydney Sixers last season after losing to them five times in a row at the MCG before that, dating back to January 2020.
• The Stars have won their last two games against the Sixers after only winning one of their previous 12 against them before that, dating back to that January 2020 match at the MCG in BBL|09.
• The Stars will attempt to defeat the Sixers twice in a single season for the second time in the competition’s history (they won two in 2018-19) following their seven-wicket victory over them at the SCG on Boxing Day.
• The Sydney Sixers have won three of their last four BBL matches, including each of their two matches in 2026; The last time the Sixers began a calendar year with a longer winning streak was a three-game stretch in 2020.
• Each of the Melbourne Stars’ last six BBL matches have been won by the team that bowled first that day; the Stars have won four of those six games.
• joel davies (Sydney Sixers) scored over 30 runs without being dismissed in each of his last two BBL batting innings (34no against Melbourne Renegades and 35no against Brisbane Heat. He also took eight wickets at an average of 11 in his last five bowling innings in the competition.
• Peter Sidle (Melbourne Stars) have taken 13 wickets at a strike rate of 12.5 in their last seven bowling innings in the BBL, recording at least one wicket in each of those seven innings, including figures of 3-23 when they last faced the Sydney Sixers on Boxing Day this season.
• Sydney Sixers captain Moisés Henriques (98) is two away from registering 100 sixes in the Big Bash.
• Melbourne Stars Import Haris Rauf (48) is two away from reaching 50 BBL wickets, while Glenn Maxwell (46) is four wickets away from the same milestone.
• If selected, Peter Sidle will make his 100th BBL appearance in this match, while Daniel Hughes He will play his 100th game with the Sydney Sixers.

What’s at stake?

Two consecutive defeats and the Stars lost their grip on the top of the BBL|15 table and were overtaken by the Hurricanes and Scorchers. While four early wins put them in a good position to make the finals again, they will be eager to rediscover that form as the business end of the campaign approaches. The Sixers have returned to the top four with two straight wins after a slow start to the season. But with the teams around him also with three wins, the final race is heating up.

KFC Rating BBL|15