The Hobart Hurricanes will take on the Melbourne Stars in the Knockout match of the 2025/26 KFC Big Bash League season at Bellerive Oval on January 21, 2026.
Both sides had an impressive journey in the league stage but cannot afford any more slip-ups, as a defeat here would mean the end of the road for them. The winners, meanwhile, will get to play the Challenger on Friday for a chance to reach the Final.
Here, we present our preview and predictions for the BBL|15 Knockout.
Looking back at their BBL|15 league stage fixtures, the defending champions have given a very good account of themselves considering how Tim David’s hamstring injury could have derailed their play-off aspirations. Six wins, a no-result, and three defeats saw them third in the standings, narrowly missing out on the Qualifier match on net run rate to the Sydney Sixers.
Although there has been equal contribution throughout the Hurricanes’ batting line-up, Mitch Owen and Tim Ward have failed to provide them with solid starts at the top of the order on a consistent basis. Nikhil Chaudhary and Ben McDermott have been their most successful batters this season, while veteran Matthew Wade has jumped in with crucial cameos at different intervals.
In the bowling department, skipper Nathan Ellis leads the wicket-takers’ column with 14 scalps. Bangladeshi leggie Rishad Hossain has had a wonderful debut season in the BBL, picking up 13 wickets while maintaining an economy rate of just 7.53. Both Riley Meredith and Chris Jordan add further depth to this impressive bowling attack, though the lack of an attacking fifth bowler might hurt them against a power-packed Stars batting lineup.
Speaking of the Melbourne Stars, following a brief slump through the middle phase of the season, they produced two dominant displays against the Melbourne Renegades and the Adelaide Strikers before getting outplayed by the Perth Scorchers in their final league game. However, those two victories were enough to help them secure a play-off place, and they will now look to recapture the spark from the opening weeks and charge into the knockout stage with strong play-off displays.
In the batting department, Sam Harper has been their main run-getter, having scored 371 runs in nine games — the third-highest run-scorer this season league-wide — at a strike rate of 155. Skipper Marcus Stoinis has been in very good form this season, adding 264 runs from the middle order at a strike rate of 135. Both Tom Rogers and Campbell Kellaway have done a commendable job, though there has been very little assistance from the lower order.
In terms of bowling units, the Stars arguably have the best bowling attack in the tournament, with the whole quartet of Haris Rauf, Peter Siddle, Tom Curran, and Marcus Stoinis sitting in the top ten list for the highest wicket-takers in the league this season. Right-arm leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson has also done an excellent job of controlling the middle overs with eight wickets at an economy rate of 7.38.
In terms of weather forecast and pitch report for this game, there will be increasing cloudiness, cooler temperatures during the afternoon, and occasional rain, with drizzle expected. This season, teams batting first at Bellerive Oval have regularly managed scores in the 180–190 range. Considering the overhead conditions, anything around that mark would make this a very evenly poised contest.
Looking ahead to the fixture, the Hobart Hurricanes have been in good form throughout the campaign and will look to keep that going when they take on the Melbourne Stars in the Knockout. That said, the Stars have quality players who can take down any team on their day, making this an even contest.
We are backing the Stars to upset the Hurricanes at home.
Fantasy XI: Ben McDermott, Sam Harper (c), Tim Ward, Nikhil Chaudhary, Campbell Kellaway, Beau Webster, Marcus Stoinis (vc), Tom Curran, Nathan Ellis, Haris Rauf, Rishad Hossain
Venue: Bellerive Oval, Hobart
Winners Prediction: Melbourne Stars
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