Stars aligning for serious finals tilt

Beware the green monster.

With four international stars back in their side for the rest of the tournament and another potentially on the way, the Melbourne Stars are looming as one of the teams to beat in this KFC BBL.

After three consecutive defeats left them bottom of the ladder, the Stars celebrated the returns of big guns Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Peter Handscomb and Adam Zampa on Saturday night with victory against their cross-town rivals for the second time this season.

Having jumped to fifth to sit just one win away from the Renegades in second spot, Stoinis has sent a warning to the rest of the competition.

"I think we're going to come storming home," the allrounder said after his player-of-the-match performance at Marvel Stadium.

"We've got a bloody good team. It's all on paper at the moment, but we play well together and we play the MCG well.

"We'll be hard to stop come finals time, I reckon."

Hit hard by international selection in the second half of previous seasons, the reshaped international schedule this summer – and the axing of Handscomb from the Test side – means the Stars should have their full squad available for the rest of the tournament.

English quick Liam Plunkett will depart due to international duty with two group matches still remaining, but Nepalese spin star Sandeep Lamichhane is expected back for a run to the finals.

Lamichhane's Bangladesh Premier League side Sylhet Sixers, who were captained by David Warner before the Australian returned home due to injury, currently sit second from bottom and are on track to miss the play-offs, which would see the leggie return to the Stars just as Plunkett departs.

Even if Sylhet manage to reach the final in Bangladesh, Lamichhane will still available for the knockout stages of the Big Bash, which the Stars will fancy reaching given they'll be near full-strength for their last five regular season games.

And there could be further good news to come in the form of a return for swing bowler Dan Worrall, who is yet to play this season due to a back problem but is tipped to be available late in the tournament.

"When you take four of the best players in the country out of the side, it's going to hit most teams," Renegades captain Aaron Finch said of the Stars' recent slump.

"You've got (Jackson) Bird who can move the ball, Dan Worrall's close to coming back … Zampa, (Tom) O'Connell, Sandeep.

"And their batting is dynamic and powerful when it comes together.

"They're a side that have a lot of bases covered and a lot of different options to go with. They're a fantastic side on paper."

The Stars' next match is against the Strikers on Wednesday in the rural Victorian town of Moe before they take on the Heat at the MCG on the Sunday of the Australia Day long weekend.