InMobi

Finals order on the line in BBL's triple-header finish

With the finals-bound teams now locked in, attention now turns to who will play who. And with only one spot in the top five set in stone, there's all to play for in the remaining three games

The final day of the regular season is here but with only one spot in the top five set in stone, there's all to play for in the remaining three games of the KFC BBL|11 regular season.

Perth Scorchers secured first spot on Monday when the Sydney Sixers lost to the Adelaide Strikers, before they increased their gap at the top of the table to 10 points with a thumping win over the Brisbane Heat on the back of another sensational Mitch Marsh knock.

The Sixers and the Sydney Thunder are set to fight it out for second spot today in their respective matches to earn the right to play the Scorchers at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night for a spot in the BBL|11 decider.

The Strikers secured their spot in the finals on Monday by beating the Sixers, although where they finish is up to the Hobart Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes could mathematically move up to second if they claim the win and the Bash Boost point against the Melbourne Stars tonight and both the Sixers and Thunder lose, but it's improbable given their poor net run rate 0.064.

Meanwhile, the Stars, Heat and Renegades only have pride to play for today as they sit too far behind the Hurricanes in fifth on 27 points.

Today's fixtures

1.05pm AEDT: Brisbane Heat v Sydney Sixers, Gabba. Foxtel, Kayo and SEN

4.10pm AEDT: Sydney Thunder v Melbourne Renegades, MCG. Seven, Foxtel, Kayo and SEN.

7.50pm AEDT: Melbourne Stars v Hobart Hurricanes, MCG. Seven Foxtel, Kayo and SEN.

BBL|11 Standings

Image Id: 6BFA6AA1951F49B6A454785804F0CEC9 Image Caption: * Prior to January 19 fixtures

1st: Perth Scorchers (41 points)

Played 14 | Won 11 | Lost 3 | NR 0 | NRR 0.926

With top spot secured on Monday, the Scorchers are enjoying a five-day break before facing either the Sixers or Thunder at Marvel Stadium on Saturday for a chance to qualify for back-to-back grand final appearances. Mitch Marsh, Josh Inglis and Colin Munro are back in the fold and their line-up suddenly looks a lot more intimidating than when they lost to the Thunder and Strikers earlier in the season. They hope to also welcome back in-form English batter Laurie Evans for a finals series where they have earned the right to be favourites to take home the silverware.

Scorchers secure top spot with 11th win against Heat

2nd: Sydney Sixers (31 points)

Played 13 | Won 8 | Lost 4 | NR 1 | NRR 1

A win with the Bash Boost point against the Heat at the Gabba on Wednesday afternoon should lock in second spot for the Sixers, unless they just scrape home and crosstown rivals the Thunder record a thumping win. The two-time defending champions missed a chance to all but guarantee second spot when they lost to the Strikers on Monday at Adelaide Oval. They will welcome back Australian spinner Nathan Lyon from Test duties and hopefully Jordan Silk (hamstring) and Steve O'Keefe (rested) for the clash against the Heat, although they may decide to keep them on ice for one more game to make sure they are fit for finals.

Career best for Dwarshuis as Sixers thrash Renegades

Sixers squad v Heat: Sean Abbott, Justin Avendano, Jackson Bird, Dan Christian, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Mickey Edwards, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Lawrence Neil-Smith, Steve O'Keefe, Josh Philippe, Lloyd Pope, Jordan Silk.

3rd: Sydney Thunder (31 points)

Played 13 | Won 8 | Lost 5 | NR 0 | NRR 0.779

The easiest path to second spot for the Thunder is to beat the Renegades on Wednesday evening at the MCG and hope the Sixers lose to the Heat earlier in the day. But they could also leapfrog their crosstown rivals if the Sixers win but don't get the Bash Boost point and they claim all four. Another path if both sides win with the Bash Boost is for them to thrash Renegades and hope the Sixers just scrape home so they can move ahead on net run rate. The good thing for the Thunder is they play after the Sixers, so they will know what they need to do before they start their last game of the season. In a boost for the side and the potential to record a big victory, the Thunder will welcome back Aussie Test star Usman Khawaja for today's clash against the 'Gades.

Thunder squad v Renegades: Jonathon Cook, Ben Cutting, Ollie Davies, Brendan Doggett, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Alex Hales, Lachlan Hearne, Baxter Holt, Usman Khawaja, Nathan McAndrew, Arjun Nair, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Gurinder Sandhu, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, Chris Tremain, Sam Whiteman

Late surge steers Hales to unbeaten 80 at the MCG

4th: Adelaide Strikers (28 points)

Played 14 | Won 6 | Lost 8 | NR 0 | NRR 0.237

The Strikers qualified for the finals with an upset win against the Sixers on Monday and, now with Test stars Travis Head and Alex Carey back in the team, they could give the title a red-hot crack. They'll have to do it the hard way though and win four games in a row as they'll finish in either fourth or fifth depending on how the Hurricanes go against the Stars tonight. The venue for both the Eliminator and Knockout finals has been confirmed as the MCG with teams being based in Melbourne since early January, so finishing fourth has less advantage than it has in previous seasons.

Head swings momentum with stunning Ashes ton

5th: Hobart Hurricanes (27 points)

Played 13 | Won 7 | Lost 6 | NR 0 | NRR 0.064

The Hurricanes will leapfrog the Strikers into fourth if they beat the Stars tonight in the final game of the regular season. Finishing second is practically impossible because of their net run rate given they would need to score more than 200, hold the Stars to about 50 from their 20 overs and hope the Sixers and Thunder get thrashed. But with Ashes hero Scott Boland back in the side after his stunning debut Test series for Australia, anything is possible. Finishing third is a more realistic possibility if they score about 200, hold the Stars to under 100 and the Thunder get smashed.

Hurricanes squad v Stars: Gabe Bell, Scott Boland, Tim David, Peter Handscomb, Caleb Jewell, Josh Kann, Sandeep Lamichhane, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Wil Parker, Tom Rogers, Will Sanders, D'Arcy Short, Jordan Thompson, Matthew Wade (c), Mac Wright

Insane! McDermott creates history with back-to-back tons