Who Will Win Adelaide Strikers vs Brisbane Heat, BBL 2018-19?
The opening game of the eighth edition of the Big Bash League will see Brisbane Heat taking on the defending champions Adelaide Strikers. The match will be played on December 19 at the Gabba in Brisbane. Live telecast is scheduled to begin at 6:15 PM local time.
BH vs ADS, BBL 2018-19: Where to Watch/Live Streaming
TV channels: Sony Six, Sony ESPN, BT Sport, Fox Sports, SuperSport, Seven Network
Live Streaming: Bet365, SonyLIV, Foxtel Sports, SuperSport Live
Toss/Bat Flip Prediction
Out of the four T20 internationals played at the Gabba, three have been won by the side batting first. However, since the wicket at this ground is expected to stay true throughout the game, the team that wins the 'bat flip' here on Wednesday is more likely to bowl first.
Read on for team previews, betting odds, betting tips and match prediction for Brisbane Heat vs Adelaide Strikers, Big Bash League 2018-19...
Brisbane Heat Team News & Playing 11
BH Team News
Brisbane Heat will be led by Chris Lynn who has taken over the captaincy from Brendon McCullum for the Big Bash League 2018-19. Pakistani spinner Shadab Khan will not be available for the tournament and so the team has roped in Afghan mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman who will be pairing up with Mitchell Swepson to form the spin attack. The Heat's pace department has also received a boost with the arrival of James Pattinson who played for Melbourne Renegades last season.
BH Key Players
Brendon McCullum and Chris Lynn will hold the key for Brisbane Heat as far as batting is concerned. Both are explosive batsmen and have the ability to single-handedly take the game away from the opposition. McCullum scored the most runs for the team last season and he will be expected to score heavily once again. Max Bryant was impressive for Queensland in the JLT Cup and he along with Joe Burns are the others to watch out for. The Heat will be banking on the likes of James Pattinson, Mark Steketee and Mujeeb Ur Rahman when it comes to bowling. Steketee was the team's best bowler last year with ten wickets in as many matches and the pacer will look to start off well this season. Pattinson has plenty of international experience under his belt while Mujeeb could also cause problems for the Adelaide Strikers with his deceptive off-breaks.
BH Recent Form
Brisbane Heat had a forgettable season last time where they won four and lost six out of ten league matches to finish seventh on the points table. They lost their final four matches in a row after registering back-to-back wins over Melbourne Stars and Perth Scorchers. The Heat played their last league game against Melbourne Renegades at the Gabba and they ended up losing that match by 26 runs.
Brisbane Heat Predicted Playing 11
Brendon McCullum, Chris Lynn (c), Max Bryant, Joe Burns, Alex Ross, James Peirson (wk), Mark Steketee, James Pattinson, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Brendan Doggett, Mitchell Swepson
Adelaide Strikers Team News & Playing 11
ADS Team News
Adelaide Strikers have retained the bulk of their squad from last season. While Peter Siddle, Rashid Khan, Jake Weatherald and Ben Laughlin have all been retained, Jono Dean and Daniel Drew are the ones to have been released from the squad. Travis Head has been named as the team's captain for the BBL 2018-19 but he will miss this opening game versus Brisbane Heat as he is currently playing for Australia in the test series against India. South African batsman Colin Ingram will lead the Strikers in the absence of Head.
ADS Key Players
With Travis Head not playing this game, Adelaide Strikers will depend heavily on Alex Carey, Jake Weatherald and Colin Ingram to deliver the goods with the bat. Carey and Weatherald struck a century each last season and finished amongst the tournament's leading run-scorers with 443 and 383 runs respectively. Ingram has done well for T20 franchises around the world and he too is a key figure at the top of the order. Billy Stanlake, Rashid Khan and Ben Laughlin form the major threat with the ball. Rashid will be the trump card for the Strikers. The Afghan leg-spinner is the world's best bowler in the shortest format and he was the tournament's leading wicket-taker last time with 18 wickets. Stanlake will probably open the bowling and his raw pace with the new ball could trouble Brisbane Heat in the powerplay. Laughlin took 16 wickets in 12 matches and he will be a potent weapon in the death overs.
ADS Recent Form
Adelaide Strikers went on to win their maiden BBL title last season. They finished second in the standings with seven wins and three losses from their ten league matches. After going down to Perth Scorchers in their final league-stage encounter, the Strikers secured a thrilling one-run victory over Melbourne Renegades in the semi-final. They then registered a 25-run win against Hobart Hurricanes in the final at the Adelaide Oval.
Adelaide Strikers Predicted Playing 11
Alex Carey (wk), Jake Weatherald, Colin Ingram (c), Matthew Short, Jonathan Wells, Jake Lehmann, Michael Neser, Rashid Khan, Peter Siddle, Ben Laughlin, Billy Stanlake
Dec 19, 2018
13:45 IST / 8:15 GMT
The Gabba - Brisbane, Australia
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