Opinion
Sometimes the ladder lies, and in an action-packed BBL season sometimes power rankings are the best way to see who is most threatening among the eight franchises.
With just 12 matches remaining in BBL|09, it’s now or never for some teams yet to solidify themselves as finals contenders, so let’s take a look at who is poised for a strong finish with only eight days of BBL left.
1. Melbourne Stars (10-1, +1.173)
Last week’s ranking: 1
Last week the Melbourne Stars locked up the minor premiership and home-ground advantage in the BBL’s first-ever qualifier in finals.
Just like they’d done all season, the Stars locked it up off the back of two dominant performances, sweeping their season series with the Scorchers and finishing the week four games clear at the top of the table.
With games against the Sixers and Strikers this week it’s likely there’ll be a qualifier preview and, more importantly for the Stars, another opportunity to show how far above the rest of the competition they truly are.
The Stars will be aiming to keep their momentum rolling into finals, and while they’re expected to shuffle their squads for the remaining three games, it seems as though any new recruit for Melbourne has slotted right in the mix, meaning a 13-1 season is a strong possibility.
Remaining games: Sixers (A), Strikers (A), Heat (H)
(Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
2. Adelaide Strikers (6-1-4, +0.649)
Last week’s ranking: 4
Despite a thumping loss to the Heat on Tuesday, the Strikers ended up having one of their best weeks in BBL|09 and jumped back into the top two for the first time since the new year.
Every result went Adelaide’s way and suddenly they went from fighting for a place in the top five to almost having a spot locked up with three games to play.
Adelaide quickly forgot about the embarrassing loss in Brisbane and perfectly flipped the script as they dismantled the Heat three days later at home.
Recently the Strikers have been following up their best performances with some of their worst, but they were able to continue their momentum with a win over the Hurricanes on Sunday, which now sees them provisionally featuring in the double-chance qualifier.
A home game against the Stars provides the Strikers with the opportunity to go 2-0 against the minor premiers, and if they do, it’s likely they’ll meet again in the qualifier knowing they’ve got the better of them twice already.
Remaining games: Stars (H), Scorchers (A), Hurricanes (H)
(Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
3. Sydney Sixers (6-1-4, -0.029)
Last week’s ranking: 2
It was a frustrating week for the Sixers, who played in two rain-affected games, with a controversial Duckworth-Lewis loss to the Thunder seeing them slip out of the top two for the first time in two weeks.
Though they were bowled out for just 76, it’s hard to take much from the Sydney derby, but nonetheless the Thunder’s 5.3 overs were enough to hand the Sixers their fourth loss of BBL|09.
Now the Sixers find themselves back among the mix of five teams battling for four spots, and though it’s unlikely they’ll miss the finals, their rain-affected week prohibited them from creating a gap between second and third, the difference between the qualifier and the knockout.
A finals berth can easily be clinched with the Sixers’ run home, and they could head into finals recapturing the momentum they lost last week, as they welcome none other than Steve Smith into their side from Wednesday onwards.
Remaining games: Stars (H), Heat (A), Renegades (H)
(Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
4. Perth Scorchers (5-6, -0.104)
Last week’s ranking: 5
A big win over the Hurricanes seems like a lifetime ago for the Scorchers, who finished the week with two losses to the ladder-leading Stars.
Despite these two losses, the Scorchers find themselves rising a spot in the power rankings given only one other side has managed to overcome the Stars, and their performance against the Hurricanes was truly spectacular.
Perth will be able to take confidence in their bowling attack’s performances last week, an attack that knocked over the Hurricanes for 98 as well as keeping the power-hitting Stars line-up to their lowest score of BBL|09.
Perth’s two meetings with the Thunder could be two of the biggest games remaining on the fixture, and if they’re able to focus on the positives in what might seem like a tough week, Perth should manage to bounce back at home.
Remaining games: Thunder (H), Strikers (H), Thunder (A)
(Stefan Gosatti/Getty Images)
The Thunder became the first side to lose to the Renegades in BBL|09, but it’s already been forgotten thanks to the Heat’s performance against the reigning champions on Sunday.
Though they climb up one spot on the power rankings, this week should’ve been much worse than it was for the Thunder, whose 5.3 overs of batting were enough to earn two points in a rain-affected Sydney derby.
With two matches against the Scorchers this week – depending on Brisbane’s results – it’s likely these matches will have an elimination final-type vibe, with both sides desperately needing two wins from their final three games.
There is room for both of them in the top five, though, and due to the Heat’s tough run home, one win could be enough for the Thunder to claim an unconvincing top-five finish.
Remaining games: Scorchers (A), Hurricanes (A), Scorchers (H)
6. Brisbane Heat (5-6, -0.464)
Last week’s ranking: 3
The Brisbane Heat recorded one of the worst batting collapses in BBL history on Friday afternoon when they lost eight wickets for just 47 runs. Then on Sunday night they recorded the worst batting collapse in BBL history, losing ten wickets for 36 runs.
The Heat are still in the mix, but the record-breaking loss to the Renegades means that instead of sitting in fourth, they’re still right in the middle of the battling pack.
The loss to the Renegades could not have come at a worse time for Brisbane, who will now need to find a win over the third-placed Sixers or the unstoppable Stars. Depending on other results, it’s likely they’ll need to beat both.
Just over a week ago this side looked as though they were finally clicking, and while it’s a beautiful sight to see the Heat at their best, it happens far too little. To be any chance of playing finals they’ll need three consecutive performances at their best, which is something they haven’t been able to do all season.
Remaining games: Sixers (H), Stars (A), Renegades (A)
(Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
It took five weeks, but the reigning champions finally remembered how to win a BBL match, and suddenly they leapt off the bottom of the power rankings.
The Renegades clinched their first win in BBL|09 on Wednesday night when they cruised to victory over the Thunder, keeping the finals race as tight as ever.
They followed it up with a historic win over the Heat, taking an unbelievable 10-36 in just 40 minutes of play, snatching their second win.
The Renegades won’t be playing finals, but their Monday-week afternoon match against the Heat could be an elimination final for Brisbane on the final day of the tournament, meaning they’ll still have plenty of ways to make an impact in BBL|09.
Their two wins in the past week also kept their dreams of avoiding going from premier to wooden spooner alive, adding a little bit of flavour to their upcoming match against the Hurricanes.
Remaining games: Hurricanes (H), Sixers (A), Heat (H)
8. Hobart Hurricanes (3-1-7, -0.849)
Last week’s ranking: 7
The Hurricanes can still make the top-five. Mathematically, anyway.
Despite their chances of playing finals, Hobart will spend this week’s power rankings taking care of a spot the Renegades had called their own for so much of this season.
It comes after a tough week for the Canes, with an embarrassing loss to the Scorchers on Monday putting their finals hopes on life support followed by a loss to the Strikers that looked a lot prettier on the scorecard.
They scraped a point from a no-result match against the Sixers, which is single-handedly keeping the door open for them in finals, but the reality for the BBL|08 minor premiers is they need a miracle to scrape in.
Hobart head into their final three games on a five-game winless streak and suddenly, after achieving nothing all tournament, the Renegades have the chance to avoid the wooden spoon, turning Tuesday night’s clash from a dead rubber to a wooden-spoon avoiding thriller.
Remaining games: Renegades (A), Thunder (H), Strikers (A)
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