BBL 2025/26 | Match 34: Melbourne Stars vs Adelaide Strikers | Preview and Predictions

The Melbourne Stars will take on the Adelaide Strikers in Match 34 of the 2025/26 KFC Big Bash League season at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on January 13, 2026. 

The Stars have bounced back after dropping three straight games and sit third in the league standings with ten points from eight outings. The Strikers, however, haven’t been able to build any momentum and sit in sixth position with six points from seven matches.

Here, we present our preview and predictions for Match 34 of BBL|15. 

BBL|15 Match 34: Stars vs Strikers | 13:45 IST, January 13, 2026

Marcus Stoinis will be a relieved man. After losing three on the trot, his team bounced back in dominant fashion against the Renegades in Match 30. That said, despite sitting in third position with a very healthy net run rate, they still need to win one of their two remaining games to secure a play-off berth.

Sam Harper was again the star of the show with a match-winning 84* off 51, taking his run tally for the entire season to 356 runs with a strike rate of nearly 159. Tom Rogers was also among the runs against the Renegades, with captain Stoinis and Campbell Kellaway being the other key contributors. However, there has been very little contribution from the lower order, something the Stars would like to address in the coming games.

Their bowling attack, after starting the season well, has seemingly run out of steam in recent games, though both Haris Rauf and Stoinis helped pull things back with crucial breakthroughs during the middle and death overs last time out. Tom Curran and Peter Siddle also picked up one wicket each while keeping things reasonably under control. Therefore, the Stars will look to bank on their experienced bowlers to guide them through to the play-offs and beyond.

Things are looking incredibly difficult for their opponents, though. The Adelaide Strikers find themselves in a do-or-die situation after just three wins in eight games. Maximum points from their remaining fixtures will only take them to ten points, after which they’d have to hope that the teams around them somehow, miraculously, fall off, which looks more and more unlikely with each passing day.  

Batting inconsistency has plagued much of the Strikers’ BBL|15 campaign, and that was the case again in their last game against the Perth Scorchers. Chasing a mammoth total of 233, they got off to a great start, with the returning Alex Carey (71 off 39) wreaking havoc alongside skipper Matthew Short (52 off 31) at the top. However, from 125/1 in the 11th over, they collapsed to 167/8 by the 18th over, which sums up their entire season.  

Their bowling attack, which has heavily relied on a handful of individuals, was due a hammering under the right conditions, and the Scorchers did just that. The seam bowling trio of Luke Wood, Jamie Overton, and Hasan Ali conceded 140 runs in 10 overs without picking up a wicket. Lloyd Pope was once again one of the standout performers with two wickets. If things don’t improve, the Strikers may be on the receiving end of another beating against a power-packed and in-form Stars batting line-up. 

In terms of weather forecast and pitch report, conditions are expected to be hot and humid for this game, though rain won’t be a factor. This BBL season, the average first-innings score at the MCG sits somewhere between 155 and 165, and chasing totals has worked out well here, with each of the five BBL|15 games here won by the side batting second. So expect the captain winning the bat flip to bowl first here.

Looking ahead to this fixture, the Melbourne Stars have bounced back after losing three consecutive matches, and they’ll want to seal their play-off spot by beating the Adelaide Strikers here. There’s no denying the wealth of talent in the Strikers’ camp, but given all the difficulties they are facing, we expect the Stars to get the win here, considering how they’ve performed throughout the competition.

Fantasy XI: Sam Harper (c), Alex Carey, Tom Rogers, Matthew Short, Campbell Kellaway, Liam Scott, Marcus Stoinis, Jamie Overton (vc), Tom Curran, Haris Rauf, Lloyd Pope 

Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne 
Winners Prediction: Melbourne Stars