BBL 2025/26 | Match 28: Hobart Hurricanes vs Adelaide Strikers | Preview and Predictions

The Hobart Hurricanes will take on the Adelaide Strikers in Match 28 of the 2025/26 KFC Big Bash League season at Bellerive Oval on January 9, 2026. 

The defending champions have looked strong so far and have taken the top spot with ten points from seven matches. The Strikers, meanwhile, despite inconsistent showings find themselves fifth in the table with six points from six games. 

Here, we present our preview and predictions for Match 28 of BBL|15. 

BBL|15 Match 28: Hurricanes vs Strikers | 13:45 IST, January 9, 2026

The Hurricanes have slowly emerged as one of the teams to beat, with five wins against two defeats cementing their place as the outright leaders in the table with ten points. A play-off berth is within touching distance for them, and the focus now shifts towards cementing a top-two finish as the fixtures come in thick and fast.

The absence of Tim David in the middle order hasn’t been felt that badly, with the rest of the batting order stepping up to deliver the goods. Nikhil Chaudhary leads the charge with 240 runs at a healthy strike rate of 160. Ben McDermott and Tim Ward have been their other key contributors, while Matthew Wade and Mitchell Owen have also chipped in with decent cameos. 

The Hurricanes’ bowling attack has relied heavily on the likes of skipper Nathan Ellis, who has bagged ten wickets, and overseas stars Chris Jordan and Rishad Hossain. Express pacer Riley Meredith has only picked up four wickets in seven outings, but the rest of the bowling options have chipped in when required to keep the opposition in check. 

Their opponents, the Adelaide Strikers, have shown mixed form this campaign and sit fifth in the standings after three wins and three defeats from six outings. With just two points separating teams from second to seventh, a victory against the Hurricanes will push them into the top four, while a defeat would result in the margins getting even smaller. 

One of the main reasons behind the Strikers’ inconsistency has been the lack of output from their batting unit. Skipper Matthew Short has been setting the tone up top as the anchor, amassing 188 runs at a strike rate of 131. Liam Scott in the middle has been the only other bright spot with 171 runs, while Chris Lynn, apart from that one big innings against the Brisbane Heat, has flattered to deceive. 

The Strikers’ bowling attack has relied heavily on Lloyd Pope and Jamie Overton, who share 19 wickets between them. Luke Wood has been efficient with the new ball, collecting six dismissals while arresting the scoring rate with an economy of 7.66. Pakistani seamer Hassan Ali has also chipped in with seven wickets in five matches, giving the bowling attack a much better outlook in comparison to their batters. 

In terms of weather forecast and pitch report, Hobart is expected to have cool and partly cloudy conditions. Moreover, with the new ball already doing a bit early on, the cloud cover will provide further assistance before the pitch settles down. The average first-innings score at Bellerive Oval this BBL season has hovered around the 180–190 mark, and with teams preferring to field first at night, anything above 190 will give us a competitive match. 

Looking ahead to the fixture, the Hobart Hurricanes have delivered solid performances across the season and will aim to continue that trend when they host the Adelaide Strikers, who come into this game on the back of an impressive win in their last one. That said, the Hurricanes are on an incredible run of form and enjoy the benefit of playing at home, which makes them our favourites to come out on top in this one.

Fantasy XI: Tim Ward, Matthew Short, Nikhil Chaudhary, Matthew Wade, Liam Scott (vc), Chris Jordan (c), Jamie Overton, Nathan Ellis, Hasan Ali, Rishad Hossain, Lloyd Pope 

Venue: Bellerive Oval, Hobart 
Winners Prediction: Hobart Hurricanes