All you need to know for the BBL|11 final

The culmination of one of the most unusual BBL seasons in the competition's 11-year history comes tonight when the Perth Scorchers and the Sydney Sixers meet under the roof of Melbourne's Marvel Stadium.

Both clubs are seeking their fourth championship, and the Sixers are chasing an historic three-peat, having defeated the Scorchers in last summer's final.

This will be the fifth time the clubs have met in the BBL final, and the ledger sits at two wins apiece from their previous meetings that date back to BBL|01.

When is it?

Tonight, January 28, from 7.40pm AEDT (4:40pm WST)

Where is it?

Marvel Stadium, Melbourne.

The Scorchers nominated that venue as their 'home' ground for the BBL finals series with the team unable to return to WA due to that state's hard border with the eastern states.

The Scorchers played just one match at home this summer, their season opener against the Brisbane Heat back on December 8.

With storms predicted for Melbourne this evening, the roof at Marvel Stadium will be closed.

Tickets can be purchased here

How can I watch?

Live broadcast coverage will be provided on Seven, Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports via the CA Live app. SEN will provide radio coverage.

Who is playing?

Much of the build-up has centred around who is not playing: Steve Smith. 'Why not?' is a difficult question to answer.

Australia's Test vice-captain has played 24 games for the Sixers previously, including in their title-winning sides in BBL|01 and BBL|09. But, given the international commitments he was expected to have this summer, the Sixers did not contract him for this season (as they did Test spinner Nathan Lyon).

With COVID playing havoc with a number of clubs' lists this season, the league created a central pool of replacement players. Smith could have entered this pool when Australia's ODI series against New Zealand was cancelled, but then any team could have dipped in to snap him up, a situation he was uncomfortable with.

Attempts to circumvent the pool were blocked after the BBL put that decision to a vote of state CEOs.

Others 'not playing' for the Sixers tonight include Josh Philippe, who has COVID-19, and Jack and Mickey Edwards, who complete their isolation period for COVID at midnight tonight.

Jordan Silk is also out due to a hamstring injury, and Daniel Hughes faces a late fitness test on an ankle he injured last week when he tripped over a boundary rope attempting a catch in the warm-ups.

On the plus side, captain Moises Henriques and retiring veteran Stephen O'Keefe will both play through calf injuries in the decider after being declared fit to play.

The replacement pool consists of left-hand batters Nick Bertus, Jake Carder and Lachlan Hearne, wicketkeeper-batters Sam Whiteman and Paddy Rowe, right-arm quick Iain Carlisle and left-armer Nick Winter, who could play a role tonight if the depleted Sixers call on them.

Wicketkeeper Jay Lenton – an assistant coach with the Sixers – was also added to the pool, and he will again keep wicket in place of Philippe.

For Perth, allrounder Mitch Marsh will play tonight, but it's unclear if he will bowl after he suffered a left hamstring injury while batting last Saturday.

Cam Bancroft, Matt Kelly and Chris Sabburg have all returned to full training after a stint on the sidelines with COVID-19 and are also in the mix for selection.

Captain Ashton Turner will play his 100th game for the club, the first Scorcher to achieve the milestone.

Probable XIs

Perth Scorchers: Josh Inglis (wk), Kurtis Patterson, Mitch Marsh, Colin Munro (NZ), Ashton Turner (c), Laurie Evans (ENG), Ashton Agar, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Peter Hatzoglou

Sydney Sixers: Hayden Kerr, Justin Avendano, Daniel Hughes (or Nick Bertus), Moises Henriques (c), Jake Carder, Dan Christian, Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Jay Lenton (wk), Nathan Lyon, Steve O'Keefe

Give me some history

There's plenty of rivalry between these two teams, and the final is a rematch of last summer's decider won by Sydney.

Turner admits there's "redemption" on his mind, saying: "They've been the best team for the last couple of years and we can't wait for the opportunity at a little bit of redemption.

"They were too good for us last year in the big games and we feel like we've taken lessons out of that and come back this year as a better team."

In anticipation of another blockbuster, let's take a look back at the history of finals between the Scorchers and Sixers.

BBL|01: Sixers won by seven wickets

Scorchers 5-156 (Mitch Marsh 77*, Paul Collingwood 32, Brett Lee 2-21) lost to Sixers 3-158 (Moises Henriques 70, Steve O'Keefe 48, Ben Edmondson 2-30)

It was the Sydney Sixers who claimed the inaugural BBL title, with a young Steve Smith captaining his side to victory and hitting the winning runs with seven balls to spare.

A 20-year-old Mitch Marsh stuck five boundaries and four sixes in the first innings on his way to 77 not out, while Sixers spearhead Brett Lee took two first-over wickets and a raw Mitchell Starc two crucial late ones to restrict the Scorchers to 156.

Moises Henriques and now veteran left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe opened the batting for the Sixers in reply, with their 110-run opening stand largely putting the game to bed, before Smith steered his side home with 22 not out.

BBL|04: Scorchers won by four wickets

Sixers 5-147 (Moises Henriques 77, Ryan Carters 35*) lost to Scorchers 6-148 (Shaun Marsh 73, Michael Klinger 33, Brett Lee 3-25)

In what is perhaps the most memorable game in BBL history, it was the Scorchers who prevailed in a final-ball thriller.

Brett Lee's final over, the last of his career, lives long in the memory of Australian cricket fans, with the legendary fast bowler falling agonisingly short of the perfect send-off.

Requiring eight to win off the final over, the Scorchers were all but assured victory after Englishman Michael Carberry ramped the first delivery to the fine leg boundary for four, and then scampered back for two on the next, leaving just two runs needed.

A single followed to level scores with three balls remaining, only for Lee to crash into the stumps of Nathan Coulter-Nile and Sam Whiteman in the next two balls.

Lee's well-executed yorker on the last ball could only be squeezed out to short mid-wicket by Yasir Arafat, with the Pakistan fast bowler well short of his ground, but Moises Henriques fumbled the run out chance for a Perth win.

It was a harsh ending for Henriques who had earlier made sure the Sixers posted a competitive total, with his brilliant 77 coming off just 57 balls.

But it wasn't to be for the Sixers, as Shaun Marsh's player-of-the-match performance with 73 in the run chase ultimately securing a second consecutive title for the Scorchers.

BBL|06: Scorchers won by nine wickets

Sixers 9-141 (Brad Haddin 38, Jhye Richardson 3-30, Tim Bresnan 3-40) lost to Scorchers 1-144 (Michael Klinger 71*, Sam Whiteman 41)

The Scorchers were utterly dominant in the final of the sixth edition of the BBL, restricting the Sixers to a below-par 141, before veteran Michael Klinger and Sam Whiteman comfortably chased down the target.

Mitchell Johnson was unplayable in the Sixers' innings, going for just 13 runs off his four runs, while Jhye Richardson announced himself on the domestic stage with his three wickets.

Klinger and England legend Ian Bell were at the crease when the Scorchers claimed victory, still with 25 balls remaining, as Perth made it three titles in six seasons and three out of the past four at that stage.

BBL|10: Sixers won by 27 runs

Sixers 6-188 (James Vince 95, Andrew Tye 2-29) defeated Scorchers 9-161 (Liam Livingstone 45, Cameron Bancroft 30, Ben Dwarshuis 3-37)

It was all the Sixers in last year's final, with James Vince making a blistering 95 and taking a stunning catch at cover to remove Mitch Marsh, to set-up victory for his side.

Dan Christian was the only other Sixers batter to reach the 20s, however it was small contributions from all batters alongside Vince's innings that helped them reach 188, an imposing total in a final compared to scores historically posted in the deciding game of the season.

The Scorchers were well in the chase with Cameron Bancroft and Liam Livingstone at the crease, however after the two openers departed wickets fell at regular intervals as the Sixers claimed a second consecutive title.