Star-studded Stars chase elusive title

The two-time runners-up and 2011-12 BBL champions appear strong on paper every season but the comings and goings of players due to international duty can make them an unpredictable prospect. They have lost Brad Haddin and Michael Lumb to retirement. Peter Nevill takes the gloves from his mentor Haddin after moving from the Melbourne Renegades.

The Sixers batting is a barometer for them. They are laced with match-winners. The England duo of Jason Roy and Sam Billings almost mirror their team-mates Daniel Hughes and Nic Maddinson in both their electrifying ability and their more-than-occasional short-circuiting. Much rests on the shoulders of Moises Henriques when the top order has failed and he will again be pivotal to the Sixers chances at the back end of the tournament.

Their bowling is well suited to the SCG. Spin is a huge part of their armoury with Johan Botha, Steve O'Keefe and Nathan Lyon later in the tournament set to be important figures while Sean Abbott is one of the competition's best fast bowlers on slow pitches. The challenge will be to avoid those threats being neutralised on some of the quicker surfaces around the country.

Most will look to the power-packed top order and the quality spin attack for the key man but Henriques is the one who, under pressure, in big games, always seems to deliver. His performance in the semi-final at the Gabba last year showcased his immeasurable value. He made 64 off 34 balls in a pressure-cooker run chase that ended in a tie. Then in the Super Over he crunched two sixes and a four to put the game beyond doubt. He finds a way when his team needs him the most.

One can never write the Sixers off. But the form of their top order would be a worry. Roy and Billings have not played any top-level cricket since September while Maddinson has had a very lean Sheffield Shield season to date. They do have to play at the WACA but don't travel to the Gabba and will play three of their last four at the SCG to give them some good momentum should they make the knockouts.

The glamour squad of the BBL are perennial contenders but yet to capture that elusive title. The Stars have never missed the semi-finals and finished runners-up to the Thunder in 2015-16. But they can't quite get over the last two hurdles. Is this their year under new captain John Hastings?

They have made a good start in the off-season with the acquisition of last year's leading run-scorer Ben Dunk from the Strikers. It was a major coup and Dunk looks set to keep wicket and open the batting with Luke Wright.

The middle order is star-studded. Kevin Pietersen, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis could be the best 3-4-5 combination in the BBL given their international credentials. But Pietersen has played just two T20s since February, excluding practice matches, and Maxwell has gone 17 T20 matches without a half-century, although his Sheffield Shield form has been sublime.

The attack is well balanced. The Stars have pace in the form of Scott Boland and Jackson Coleman, and middle- and death-overs craft in Hastings and James Faulkner as well as two outstanding spinners in Michael Beer and Adam Zampa who can both bowl in any scenario. They have had two contrasting pre-season results, a good win over the Thunder and comprehensive loss to the Hurricanes, but both were on club-standard wickets.

Dunk has been the tournament's leading scorer twice, Pietersen has been Player of the Tournament at a World T20, and Faulkner Player of the Match in a World Cup final. But you can't help but look at Glenn Maxwell as the key man. He can win games single-handedly. The key for Maxwell is working on a plan to be more consistent. His strike-rate is extraordinary but he needs to face more deliveries than he does to really hurt the opposition. He found a plan in four-day cricket this summer to build some outstanding innings. If he can translate parts of that to his T20 game, he really will be the biggest show in the country.

It's not really about the home and away matches for the Stars. They have so many players that can win games at any stage that they should win enough to make the last four for the seventh straight year. Can they fire in a semi-final and a final and claim that elusive title? That all hangs on the senior men like Pietersen and Maxwell. If they fire in the big games the Stars will be hard to beat.

The perennial underachievers have made some significant moves during the off-season to try and change their fortunes and reach the finals for just the second time after being edged out to fifth last season. The losses of Sunil Narine (personal reasons) and Matthew Wade (Hobart Hurricanes) have been offset by the additions of Tim Ludeman, Brad Hodge, Kane Richardson, Kieron Pollard and Jon Holland from the Strikers.

Afghanistan allrounder Mohammad Nabi brings a different element to the squad and could be a wildcard. Batting has never really been an issue given the quality of the top order led by Aaron Finch. The Renegades have experimented with their top three previously but suddenly they are flush with depth with Finch, Ludeman, Marcus Harris and Cameron White all viable options. But they have lost a lot of tight games because of their inability to defend with the ball at the death. The addition of Richardson and Joe Mennie may help Dwayne Bravo and Chris Tremain in that area. Holland should be well suited to bowling at Etihad Stadium. Jack Wildermuth is also a talented acquisition from the Brisbane Heat who can fill a role with both bat and ball.

Finch is the barometer at the top of the order but his exit to ODI duties tests the Renegades every year. They have the batting to cover him this year but they need to win the tight ones. Their best closer with both bat and ball is Dwayne Bravo. His tournament-ending injury last season hurt the Renegades badly. His middle and death overs are vital in defending scenarios, his fielding is a weapon, and he can clear the ropes at the end of an innings on command.

History is not on the Renegades' side but this is one of the best combinations they have assembled in seven tournaments. If they can start well and then maintain the rage when they lose their skipper Aaron Finch then they have every chance of making the semi-finals. Hodge's calmness and experience could be invaluable to support to Finch and White from a leadership perspective.

The Thunder have been the ultimate rags-to-riches-and-back-to-rags story. It is quite incredible to think that they could go from last to the title and then back to last place in the space of three years but that is what has happened. They have lost three internationals of note in Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell and Carlos Brathwaite, but have picked up some decent replacements. England wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler and New Zealand paceman Mitchell McClenaghan add a wealth of international experience while Callum Ferguson is a good edition to any middle order.

The batting depth is an issue. The Thunder have consistently relied on too few to manufacture winning scores. Usman Khawaja was the man in their title-run in 2015-16 but he won't be available until after the first six matches. Shane Watson, Aiden Blizzard and Ben Rohrer are all no longer playing regular domestic cricket, which makes it very difficult for them to step up and fire straight away. McClenaghan is an excellent addition, particularly on the Spotless Stadium pitch. He will be able to fill the hole left by Pat Cummins, while Fawad Ahmed and Chris Green are a good spin combination.

The bulk of the heavy lifting should not fall on Shane Watson at this stage of his career but the way this team is set up he appears the key to the Thunder's hopes, at least until Usman Khawaja is available. Watson is the one man who can blow games away if he can convert his starts. He's coming off some amazing form in Sydney grade cricket and, given his history, one score early in the tournament could set him on his way.

The Thunder will need a lot to go right. They appear to be the type of team for whom much will hinge on their first couple of results. Two wins out of the gates against the Sixers and Strikers prior to Christmas could set them on a run. Conversely, they probably lack the overall experience to overcome a couple of early losses, particularly given the way five of the previous six tournaments have gone for them. But they did win a title only two years ago.