Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Stars: Preview & Predictions (BBL14)

The 2024/25 Big Bash League season will begin when Perth Scorchers welcome Melbourne Stars at the Perth Stadium. The home team missed out on a third successive BBL title last season, while the visitors will look to put their disappointing sixth place finish behind and start anew.

The Stars will have to defy the underdog label the best betting sites in Australia have been putting on them ahead of the tie, if they are to fly back home with a positive result. Perth is currently on a six-match winning streak against their upcoming opponents, and they will be keen on extending the run to seven matches.

Who will prevail? Read on for our full preview of the Scorchers vs Stars.

Perth Scorchers

The Scorchers seemed set for a hat-trick title triumph last season, but a play-off loss to Adelaide Strikers dashed their ambitions. They have lost the prolific Laurie Evans to Renegades this season, but they have brought in English batters Matty Hurst and Keaton Jennings to fill the void. Black Caps dynamo Finn Allen adds more steel to the backbone of their batting lineup.  

Scorchers coach Adam Voges went for a batting-heavy recruitment to compensate for last season’s top order woes. It also serves as insurance to players like Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis leaving on international duty. There is more depth in the batting lineup than last season, so they will be hoping to get more runs on the board.  

They already had incredible quality in their bowling attack. Jason Behrendorff will look to pick up the momentum after his 16-wicket season, while experienced names like Lance Morris, Ashton Agar, Jhye Richardson, and Andrew Tye form the rest of the arsenal.  

Melbourne Stars

A midseason revival ignited the hopes of a playoff appearance at the Melbourne Stars camp last season, but a three-match losing slump threw them out of contention in the end. This is, of course, nothing new for Stars fans as they saw their team ending their BBL campaign prematurely for the fourth time in the last six seasons.  

Melbourne Stars have a star-studded batting lineup on paper. But, they will not have Glenn Maxwell and Ben Duckett in the early stages of their 24/25 campaign. Marcus Stoinis, who has been named the new captain of the team, will have to step up with the bat as the Stars batting lineup misses some stellar names.  

Usama Mir will be a big miss for the Stars bowling department as the Pakistani leg-spinner is touring South Africa with the national team. BBL veteran Tom Curran might provide the much-needed X-factor with the ball, though.

Perth holds the upper hand in head-to-head encounters between the two sides, with 14 wins compared to the Stars' eight. The head-to-head stats have become even more one-sided in recent years, as the Scorchers have won their last six meetings against the Stars.

The H2H record is more competitive at Perth Stadium, where the two teams are set to face off in their upcoming match. This will be their fourth encounter at the venue, with the home side winning twice, while the Stars claimed a convincing victory there in 2019.

Melbourne Stars have high expectations on Tom Curran. The Englishman is an all-rounder, but his team will particularly count on him to thrive with the ball. He claimed 51 wickets in 35 outings for his previous employers, the Sydney Sixers.

Josh Inglis will not be involved when Australia plays India at the Gabba this weekend. So, the wicket-keeper batsman will be able to fully focus on his Perth Scorchers responsibilities. He has been one of the most consistent batsmen in short-form domestic cricket, so we expect to see an explosive innings from him.

Betting apps are offering short odds for the Scorchers walking away with a win in this one. Perth will enjoy the local support and have an incredible record against the Stars in recent times. Also, the visitors will have some high-profile absentees like Maxwell, Mir, and Duckett. Form in recent seasons and offseason activities also point toward a Scorchers victory against the Stars.

Both the Scorchers and Stars will look to bury the ghosts of the past in the opening game of BBL14 this weekend. The Scorchers saw their title charge come crumbling down last season, while the Stars suffered another disastrous regular season collapse. This is an opportunity for both sides to start anew and a victory could set the tone for a successful campaign ahead.