BBL 2025/26 | Match 29: Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Thunder | Preview and Predictions

The Brisbane Heat will take on the Sydney Thunder in Match 29 of the 2025/26 KFC Big Bash League season at The Gabba on January 10, 2026. 

With the table so tightly packed at the moment, the Brisbane Heat, despite their struggles, can draw level with the rest of the teams, but the Sydney Thunder, on a four-game losing streak, are all but knocked out of the tournament with just one win in seven. 

Here, we present our preview and predictions for Match 29 of BBL|15. 

BBL|15 Match 29: Heat vs Thunder | 10:30 IST, January 10, 2026

It has been an up-and-down campaign for the Heat this time around, with three wins offset by four setbacks overall. With just three league games remaining, a play-off push only stays realistic if they secure at least two wins. 

Heading into the business end of the season, the Heat have received a massive boost, with recent Ashes winners Marcus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja set to enter the fray. Khawaja will take over the leadership duties as well, replacing Nathan McSweeney as the Heat skipper upon his return. 

With regards to the existing batters, Matt Renshaw leads the charge with 245 runs from seven appearances while striking at 157. Alongside him, Max Bryant has played an effective supporting role, adding 182 runs in seven matches while striking at 154. 

Looking at their bowling department, Jack Wildermuth leads the way with nine dismissals, with the duo of Xavier Bartlett and Matthew Kuhnemann combining for 16 wickets. However, others have struggled to maintain the pressure, producing uneven results. The Heat have also secured the services of Pakistan’s Zaman Khan, who joins as a replacement for the injured Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Their opponents, the Sydney Thunder, have been on an abysmal run of form, with just one win in seven outings leaving them rooted to the foot of the table. With only three league-stage fixtures to go, there is no room for slip-ups, and even then the Thunder will be relying on results elsewhere to somehow, miraculously, make the play-offs.

Looking at their batting unit, on one hand we can see that a few of their batters have been among the runs, with Matthew Gilkes and David Warner leading the charge, but on the other side we can also see that a majority of those runs have come during one-off performances, with the rest of the batting unit failing to deliver on the day. Delivering as a unit is something the Thunder have to work on if they wish to end the season on a high.

Among the bowlers, Daniel Sams has carried most of the workload, claiming 11 wickets in seven games. Shadab Khan, their second-highest wicket-taker and also a key contributor with the bat, left the team midway to join Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka, while the likes of Nathan McAndrew and Reece Topley have largely flattered to deceive.

In terms of weather forecast and pitch report for this game, conditions in Brisbane are expected to be partly sunny and humid through the afternoon. That said, the first few overs under lights at The Gabba always pose problems for batters, although after that scoring becomes considerably easier.

Looking ahead to this fixture, both teams are coming into this contest desperate for victories. While the Brisbane Heat genuinely believe they still have a shot at the play-offs, the Sydney Thunder are clinging on by the skin of their teeth. The Heat have the advantage of playing at home, but they need to show far more than they did when they scraped to just 114/9 in their previous outing against the Sydney Sixers.

Weighing up the two squads, we believe the Heat will take the win in this encounter. 

Fantasy XI: Jack Wildermuth, Matthew Gilkes, Nathan McSweeney, David Warner, Matthew Renshaw (c), Max Bryant, Daniel Sams (vc), Xavier Bartlett, Wes Agar, Thomas Balkin, David Willey 

Venue: Brisbane Cricket Ground (The Gabba), Brisbane 
Winners Prediction: Brisbane Heat