Jan 23: Melbourne Stars vs Perth Scorchers, Melbourne

Pro Tip: Spinners have enjoyed a lot more success at the MCG than pacers since BBL09, averaging only 22.03. So consider Adam Zampa as one of your captaincy choices.

Our XI: Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Liam Hatcher, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Liam Livingstone, Colin Munro, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Fawad Ahmed, Adam Zampa

Substitutes: Andrew Tye, Jason Roy, Nic Maddinson, Hilton Cartwright

Player Availability: No major changes for both teams from their previous games.

We might not always be able to tip you off about late injury (or other relevant) updates, so please finalise your team after the toss.

Captain: Colin Munro
Munro is the leading run-scorer for the Scorchers this season with 353 runs in ten games. He has been in phenomenal hitting form of late, registering scores of 52, 50, 50, 34 and 82 recently. Munro has also been exceptional against spin in BBL10, scoring 132 runs at a strike rate of 160.97.

Vice-captain: Adam Zampa
Last season's best spinner with 20 wickets in 12 games, Zampa has been the joint-most prolific spinner this season too with 18 wickets in just ten games at an average of 13.88. He is the leading wicket-taker at this venue with 31 wickets in 21 games including a five-for recently against the Adelaide Strikers.

Hot Picks
Marcus Stoinis: The Stars' opener Stoinis has been the leading run-scorer since the 2018-19 BBL season, with 1608 runs in 41 games at an average of 48.72. Now that he is fit to bowl too, expect points from his wickets too. He is the second-highest run-scorer at this venue with 793 runs in 27 games at an average of 37.76

Jhye Richardson: Richardson has taken 21 wickets in 11 games at an average of 11.52 this season. He has gone wicketless only once in his last 12 BBL outings, which makes him a must pick in your XI. Richardson has been effective in all phases of the game as well.

Nathan Coulter-Nile: Coulter-Nile has been hampered by injuries in the ongoing edition, but in four games, he has picked up a staggering nine wickets at an average of 9.77. He bowled one of the most economical spells in BBL 10 too, with figures of 3.5-0-10-4 against the Heat.

Differential Picks
Liam Hatcher: The 24-year old pacer has been extremely impressive in his debut season, having picked the second most number of wickets for the Stars with 13 strikes in nine games. The last time he played at this venue, he picked up 3 for 29 in the Melbourne derby.

Fawad Ahmed: The Scorchers' lead spinner Ahmed has been in good form, picking up 11 wickets in ten innings at an average of 22.45. He is also expected to make an impact on a pitch that supports spinners.

Alternate Scenarios

• Nic Maddinson or Hilton Cartwright can replace Nick Larkin.
• Marcus Stoinis and Jhye Richardson are the alternate captain and vice-captain choices.