Sydney Sixers v Sydney Thunder: match preview

3h ago Jourdan Canil and Max Hatzoglou

A Sydney Smash with a top two spot on the line looms, with two of the most in-form teams going head-to-head

Match facts

Who: Sydney Sixers v Sydney Thunder

What: Match 37, KFC BBL|14

Where: SCG, Sydney

When: Friday, January 17. Bat flip at 6.30pm AEDT, first ball at 7.15pm AEDT

How to watch: Channel Seven, 7plus, Fox Cricket, Kayo Sports

Buy tickets: Tickets are on sale here

Live scores: Match Centre

Highlights, news and reactions after the match: cricket.com.au, the CA Live and Big Bash apps

Officials: Andrew Crozier and Sam Nogajski (field), Gerard Abood (third), Troy Penman (fourth), Bob Stratford (match referee)

Match squads

Sydney Sixers: Moises Henriques (c), Sean Abbott, Jafer Chohan, Joel Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Hayden Kerr, Ben Manenti, Todd Murphy, Mitch Perry, Josh Philippe, Lachlan Shaw, Jordan Silk, Steve Smith

The Sixers go in with an unchanged squad from their win over Adelaide Strikers at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.

Sydney Thunder: David Warner (c), Wes Agar, Tom Andrews, Sam Billings, Dan Christian, Ollie Davies, George Garton, Matt Gilkes, Chris Green, Muhammad Hasnain, Nathan McAndrew, Tanveer Sangha, Sam Konstas, Hugh Weibgen

In: Wes Agar. Out: Liam Hatcher

Wes Agar returns to the Thunder squad and will be looking to continue to add to his nine wickets taken this season from five matches. The quick replaces Liam Hatcher.

Club news

Sydney Sixers

BBL|14 run home: Five teams still in the race for last finals spot

Centurion Smith sets Olympics as his T20 target

Smith's stunning century helps Sixers reclaim top spot

Sydney Thunder

Sams' Big Bash season over as new injury emerges

Thunder shore up finals berth after Konstas half-century

The Surge Pod: Hussey's favourite players 25 and under

Get the latest

Top performers

Most Runs

BBL|14 BKT Golden Bat

Player	Total
1 David Warner D Warner	324
2 Cooper Connolly C Connolly	312
3 Marcus Stoinis M Stoinis	264
4 Alex Ross A Ross	250
5 Max Bryant M Bryant	243
6 Ben Duckett B Duckett	243
7 Chris Lynn C Lynn	230
8 James Vince J Vince	228

Most Wickets

BBL|14 BKT Golden Arm

Player	Total
1 Tom Rogers T Rogers	16
2 Lloyd Pope L Pope	15
3 Jason Behrendorff J Behrendorff	14
4 Lance Morris L Morris	13
5 Ben Dwarshuis B Dwarshuis	12
6 Henry Thornton H Thornton	12
7 Mark Steketee M Steketee	11
8 Riley Meredith R Meredith	11

Most sixes scored

BBL|14

Player	Total
1 Glenn Maxwell G Maxwell	20
2 Cooper Connolly C Connolly	15
3 Tim David T David	15
4 Max Bryant M Bryant	14
5 Mitchell Owen M Owen	13
6 Chris Lynn C Lynn	12
7 Matthew Renshaw M Renshaw	12
8 Matt Short M Short	12

Local knowledge

Rapid stats

The Sydney Sixers have won their last six BBL matches against the Sydney Thunder; the last and only time the Sixers recorded a longer winning run against the Thunder was their first seven meetings in the competition (January 2012 to January 2015).
The Sydney Thunder have won each of their last two BBL matches in New South Wales; a third consecutive win in this game would equal their longest winning run in their home state in the history of the competition (W3 in January 2020).
The Sydney Sixers have a catch success rate of 84% (47/56) in BBL14, the best of any team in the competition while the Sydney Thunder (65% - 31/48) are ranked last in this category.
Josh Philippe (Sydney Sixers) has made 13 catches in BBL14, three more than any other player in the competition and has maintained a 100% catch success rate (13/13) – only Jordan Silk (18/18 for Sydney Sixers in BBL12), Daniel Christian (14/14 for Melbourne Renegades in BBL08) and Sam Harper (14/14 for Melbourne Renegades in BBL11) have made more without dropping a catch attempt in a single season in BBL history.
Batters have played and missed at 29% of Lockie Ferguson’s (Sydney Thunder) 144 balls bowled in BBL14, the highest rate of any player in the competition.

What's on the line?

To put it simply, whichever side wins will guarantee a top-two spot. There are scenarios where either team could find themselves on the top of the ladder at the end, but that will require the Hobart Hurricanes to lose both of their remaining matches.

KFC BBL|14 standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Total points PTS
1 Sydney Sixers Men SIX	9	6	2	1	0.156	13
2 Hobart Hurricanes Men HUR	8	6	1	1	0.12	13
3 Sydney Thunder Men THU	9	5	3	1	0.34	11
4 Melbourne Stars Men STA	9	4	5	0	-0.073	8
5 Brisbane Heat Men HEA	8	3	4	1	-0.863	7
6 Adelaide Strikers Men STR	9	3	6	0	0.067	6
7 Perth Scorchers Men SCO	9	3	6	0	0.057	6
8 Melbourne Renegades Men REN	9	3	6	0	0.033	6

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

PTS: Total points