Table so far
| Team | Matches | Points | NRR |
| Adelaide Strikers | 6 | 10 | 1.21 |
| Perth Scorchers | 7 | 10 | 0.02 |
| Melbourne Renegades | 6 | 8 | 0.61 |
| Brisbane Heat | 7 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Hobart Hurricanes | 6 | 8 | -0.39 |
| Sydney Thunder | 7 | 6 | -0.22 |
| Sydney Sixers | 6 | 0 | -0.65 |
| Melbourne Stars | 5 | 0 | -1.12 |
Adelaide Strikers
Assessment: Being at the top of the table with 4 matches to go and having a superior net run-rate, the Strikers look to be strongly placed for a home semi-final. Their bowling attack is now comfortably the best in the tournament with the Scorchers losing two of theirs to ODI duties: Rashid Khan is bowling with wicket-taking verve, Billy Stanlake’s stock continues to rise and Ben Laughlin and Peter Siddle are using their experience very effectively. However, their batting will be a worry with Travis Head certain to feature heavily in the ODI series. This will mean that they will rely on Alex Carey and Colin Ingram to continue their form.
Key player: Rashid Khan has played with remarkable consistency this BBL with 11 wickets in 6 matches so far (5 two’s and 1 one). As such, his parsimonious bowling and knack for taking vital wickets in those middle overs has been a constant for the Strikers and will be needed to push them onwards.
Path to the finals: Scorchers (H), Hurricanes (H), Renegades (A), Scorchers (A)
Changes: Travis Head (ODI leave)
Best XI onwards (bench is italicised):
| Bat inns | Runs | Ave | SR | Bowl inns | Wkts | Ave | Econ | |
| AT Carey | 6 | 224 | 56 | 128 | – | – | – | – |
| J Weatherald | 6 | 68 | 11 | 106 | – | – | – | – |
| CA Ingram | 6 | 182 | 36 | 132 | 2 | 0 | – | 6.5 |
| JW Wells | 5 | 96 | 24 | 120 | – | – | – | – |
| JS Lehmann | 4 | 65 | 16 | 130 | – | – | – | – |
| JR Dean | 1 | 12 | – | 200 | – | – | – | – |
| MG Neser | 3 | 53 | 53 | 129 | 5 | 8 | 19 | 8.6 |
| Rashid Khan | 4 | 26 | 26 | 236 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 5.2 |
| PM Siddle | 2 | 1 | – | 100 | 6 | 5 | 23 | 5.7 |
| B Laughlin | – | – | – | – | 6 | 11 | 17 | 9.0 |
| B Stanlake | – | – | – | – | 6 | 8 | 19 | 6.7 |
| TM Head | 6 | 187 | 31 | 126 | 4 | 2 | 30 | 9.8 |
| WA Agar | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| LN O’Connor | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Perth Scorchers
Assessment: Prior to the ODI squad taking its share, the Scorchers had the best pace attack in the tournament. But, with their BBL form catapulting them into Australian colours, Andrew Tye and Jhye Richardson have left quite a substantial hole in the Scorchers attack. The Scorchers are further weakened by the swap of David Willey for Tim Bresnan, who was once a key cog in Ashes victories for England but now lacks the dynamism of his former days. However, they can take comfort in the fact that their batting will be bolstered by Shaun Marsh and Cam Bancroft, both top quality batsmen, which means that it is now their batting that is the stronger suit. And so, while their bowling seems fragile apart from the still quick Mitchell Johnson, they seem likely to sneak into the finals given their batting power as well as their high table position.
Key player: Ashton Turner, although he has impressed the Australian selectors with past BBL performances, will want to pile on the runs to produce a standout season in BBL07. In a batting line-up of consistent run-scorers, he is the one who can up the scoring rate and lead the Scorchers to higher totals, which will be a necessity given their decimated bowling stocks.
Path to the finals: Strikers (A), Hurricanes (H), Strikers (H)
Changes: Test return – Shaun Marsh, Cam Bancroft, Intl intro – Tim Bresnan, ODI leave – David Willey, Andrew Tye, Jhye Richardson
Best XI onwards (bench is italicised)
| Bat inns | Runs | Ave | SR | Bowl inns | Wkts | Ave | Econ | |
| M Klinger | 6 | 140 | 23 | 112 | – | – | – | – |
| SE Marsh | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| CT Bancroft | 1 | 75 | – | 134 | – | – | – | – |
| AJ Turner | 7 | 199 | 40 | 164 | – | – | – | – |
| AC Voges | 7 | 99 | 20 | 119 | 1 | 0 | – | 11.5 |
| HWR Cartwright | 7 | 179 | 30 | 118 | 1 | 0 | – | 8.0 |
| AC Agar | 4 | 103 | 52 | 154 | 6 | 3 | 46 | 6.0 |
| TT Bresnan | – | – | – | – | 1 | 2 | 19 | 12.7 |
| M Kelly | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 32 | 8.0 |
| JS Paris | 1 | 1 | 1 | 50 | 2 | 1 | 64 | 8.0 |
| MG Johnson | – | – | – | – | 6 | 7 | 20 | 5.7 |
| DJ Willey | 6 | 127 | 21 | 113 | 6 | 7 | 26 | 8.2 |
| AJ Tye | 2 | 7 | 7 | 175 | 6 | 16 | 12 | 8.1 |
| JA Richardson | 2 | 10 | 10 | 100 | 6 | 5 | 44 | 9.6 |
| JP Inglis | 3 | 11 | 6 | 85 | – | – | – | – |
| WG Bosisto | 3 | 34 | 11 | 110 | 1 | 0 | – | 19.0 |
| JR Philippe | 1 | 7 | 7 | 70 | – | – | – | – |
| TH David | 3 | 36 | 36 | 129 | – | – | – | – |
| JM Muirhead | – | – | – | – | 2 | 1 | 30 | 7.5 |
| MR Marsh | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| SM Whiteman | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| C Green | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Melbourne Renegades
Assessment: While the Renegades have done well so far in the tournament with their swathe of all-rounders, their batting depth will be tested with the departure of Cameron White to ODI duties, who has amassed a great deal of runs this BBL07, making many a run-chase seem easy. They will need Tim Ludeman to step up to open in Aaron Finch’s absence and Jon Holland to take over for Mohammad Nabi, who will leave after their 7th game. The return of Kieron Pollard will provide some impetus to the Renegades’ middle order, but it has not been tested before with Brad Hodge and Dwayne Bravo getting minimal time so far. Thus, it will be up to the bowlers to push the Renegades to the finals with Dwayne Bravo emerging as the strike bowler with the second highest number of wickets in BBL07 so far.
Key player: Kieron Pollard has a T20 batting average of 30 and a strike rate of 150. To give you an idea of how strong those numbers are, a common metric for a “good” T20 innings is that, if you add those 2 numbers, you should get 160 or above. His introduction into the line-up is timely as without the top order runs of Finch and White the Renegades will need their middle order to fire.
Path to the finals: Stars (H), Strikers (H), Thunder (A), Heat (A)
Changes: Intl intro – Kieron Pollard, ODI leave – Cameron White, Aaron Finch, Mohammad Nabi
Best XI onwards (bench is italicised):
| Bat inns | Runs | Ave | SR | Bowl inns | Wkts | Ave | Econ | |
| TP Ludeman | 1 | 1 | 1 | 33 | – | – | – | – |
| MS Harris | 6 | 148 | 25 | 126 | – | – | – | – |
| TLW Cooper | 4 | 143 | 48 | 135 | 3 | 1 | 37 | 9.3 |
| BJ Hodge | 4 | 38 | 19 | 115 | – | – | – | – |
| DJ Bravo | 4 | 28 | 28 | 140 | 6 | 12 | 15 | 7.8 |
| KA Pollard | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| BJ Webster | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| JD Wildermuth | 1 | 5 | 5 | 50 | 6 | 6 | 27 | 7.3 |
| JM Holland | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| KW Richardson | 1 | 12 | – | 150 | 6 | 3 | 62 | 7.8 |
| GB Hogg | 1 | 1 | – | 100 | 6 | 7 | 24 | 7.4 |
| AJ Finch | 6 | 108 | 18 | 137 | 1 | 0 | – | 5.0 |
| CL White | 6 | 285 | 143 | 116 | – | – | – | – |
| Mohammad Nabi | 2 | 65 | 33 | 141 | 6 | 6 | 22 | 6.1 |
| CP Tremain | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| JM Mennie | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| MW Short | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| W Sutherland | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| GL Walker | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Brisbane Heat
Assessment: Unscathed from the ODI series, the Heat are well positioned to have a strong run during the business end of the BBL. The key thing about the Heat so far has been that they haven’t relied on any one player to dominate. For instance, 6 batsmen in their squad have scored over 100 runs so far in the BBL. While they would like Chris Lynn’s impact at the top when he returns from injury, almost all of their batsmen are in decent form, which is a rarity in the BBL. Moreover, although their quicks are not star players, they have been serviceable along with their slow bowlers, Mitchell Swepson and Yasir Shah, who have been economical.
Key player: Brendon McCullum has the ability to work wonders as a captain, marshalling his men to harness that elusive concept in professional sport known as “teamwork”. He did so with New Zealand in the 2015 ODI World Cup and continues to do so with the Brisbane Heat. His impact can be seen in his partnership with Chris Lynn, who bats with incredible self-belief under McCullum’s leadership. Thus, he will be key in terms of continuing to lead this team and inspiring them to perform at their best. In addition, he is also quite a good batsman still, striking nearly 200 runs so far at a SR of 145.
Path to the finals: Hurricanes (A), Sixers (A), Renegades (H)
Changes: Injury leave – Chris Lynn
Best XI onwards (bench is italicised):
| Bat inns | Runs | Ave | SR | Bowl inns | Wkts | Ave | Econ | |
| BB McCullum | 7 | 191 | 27 | 145 | – | – | – | – |
| SD Heazlett | 4 | 81 | 20 | 123 | – | – | – | – |
| JA Burns | 6 | 163 | 41 | 139 | 3 | 0 | – | 4.7 |
| AI Ross | 6 | 155 | 31 | 132 | – | – | – | – |
| BCJ Cutting | 6 | 120 | 20 | 158 | 5 | 4 | 22 | 8.9 |
| M Labuschagne | 2 | 21 | 11 | 88 | 1 | 0 | – | 5.0 |
| JJ Peirson | 6 | 105 | 26 | 125 | – | – | – | – |
| MT Steketee | 5 | 19 | 6 | 158 | 7 | 8 | 29 | 8.6 |
| B Doggett | 2 | 4 | 4 | 67 | 6 | 6 | 31 | 9.3 |
| Yasir Shah | 1 | 6 | – | 75 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 5.6 |
| MJ Swepson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 47 | 7.2 |
| CA Lynn | 4 | 127 | 42 | 163 | – | – | – | – |
| Shadab Khan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 7.1 |
| JK Lalor | 3 | 25 | 13 | 119 | 4 | 6 | 22 | 8.9 |
| CJ Gannon | 1 | 23 | 23 | 82 | 2 | 1 | 50 | 10.0 |
Hobart Hurricanes
Assessment: On a veritable hot streak, the Hurricanes have a great deal of momentum coming into their final four games. It has been led by the monstrous batting of D’Arcy Short and incisive quick bowling of overseas import Jofra Archer. However, without the weight and speed of Short’s runs, the Hurricanes will struggle to post strong totals as their other batsmen have failed to produce substantial runs – George Bailey has been a notable example given his skill and experience. Their bowling, while decent, could do with some smarter execution from their other overseas player Tymal Mills, who after receiving a staggering IPL pay-packet in 2017, has not delivered on expectations.
Key player: D’Arcy Short has become yet another young batsman to announce himself to Australian cricket in what is now a BBL tradition. He has outstripped the rest of his batting competition with his 406 runs beating the next best by over 100 runs. In doing so, he has also scored the only three fifty plus scores by a Hurricanes batsman, highlighting their dependency on his runs. A continuation of his form will allow them to continue on to the finals and personally allow him to enter Australian colours.
Path to the finals: Heat (H), Strikers (A), Stars (A)
Changes: ODI leave – Tim Paine
Best XI onwards (bench is italicised):
| Bat inns | Runs | Ave | SR | Bowl inns | Wkts | Ave | Econ | |
| DJM Short | 6 | 406 | 81 | 160 | 3 | 1 | 36 | 6.0 |
| AJ Doolan | 6 | 106 | 18 | 105 | – | – | – | – |
| MS Wade | 6 | 121 | 24 | 120 | – | – | – | – |
| BR McDermott | 6 | 143 | 29 | 132 | – | – | – | – |
| GJ Bailey | 5 | 44 | 9 | 94 | – | – | – | – |
| DT Christian | 5 | 68 | 23 | 142 | 6 | 3 | 46 | 9.3 |
| S Milenko | 2 | 29 | 29 | 223 | 3 | 0 | – | 16.7 |
| JC Archer | 3 | 26 | 26 | 144 | 6 | 9 | 19 | 7.1 |
| CJ Boyce | 2 | 4 | 2 | 100 | 6 | 4 | 36 | 6.9 |
| CA Rose | 2 | 13 | 13 | 76 | 6 | 5 | 33 | 8.3 |
| TS Mills | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 58 | 9.7 |
| A Summers | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | – | 10.3 |
| S Milenko | 2 | 29 | 29 | 223 | 3 | 0 | – | 16.7 |
| T Rogers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 16.7 |
| TD Paine | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| JK Reed | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| SL Rainbird | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| DJM Moody | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| JJ Bazley | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Sydney Thunder
Assessment: Their win against the Scorchers last night has allowed them to a few mathematical pathways towards the finals without winning all their final three games. However, given their net run-rate and the tightly packed nature of the teams above them in the top five, they will most likely need to win all three and have some results go their way. They will handily face the two bottom teams in their next two matches, but this also means they will have much less say in their destiny as they can cause higher teams to “drop” points. Their pre-season weakness – their brittle middle order – has been a significant impediment to the Thunder posting strong totals. This deficiency, coupled with Kurtis Patterson’s struggle to score at speed, means the arrival of Usman Khawaja and James Vince will create an impressive top order that will have to score the vast majority of the Thunder’s runs. Mitch McClenaghan, true to his style, has taken wickets with a high economy rate, but will want to have a more incisive impact as the Thunder’s bowling import.
Key player: Usman Khawaja, fresh from his Sydney Test hundred, made an immediate impact with 85 against the Scorchers. His form will relieve the immense pressure on Shane Watson to score the runs and hit the boundaries for the Thunder team and will revive memories of his previous run in the Thunder’s triumphant 2015/16 BBL campaign.
Path to the finals: Sixers (A), Stars (A), Renegades (H)
Changes: Test return – Usman Khawaja, James Vince
Best XI onwards (bench is italicsied):
| Bat inns | Runs | Ave | SR | Bowl inns | Wkts | Ave | Econ | |
| UT Khawaja | 1 | 85 | 85 | 167 | – | – | – | – |
| JM Vince | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| SR Watson | 7 | 257 | 37 | 136 | 4 | 2 | 36 | 9.3 |
| CJ Ferguson | 5 | 95 | 24 | 113 | – | – | – | – |
| BJ Rohrer | 7 | 81 | 16 | 147 | – | – | – | – |
| AJ Nair | 6 | 49 | 25 | 120 | 7 | 8 | 22 | 7.2 |
| CJ Green | 3 | 13 | 4 | 144 | 7 | 4 | 45 | 7.5 |
| JS Lenton | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| MJ McClenaghan | 3 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 7 | 9 | 28 | 9.1 |
| GS Sandhu | 2 | 11 | 11 | 220 | 4 | 6 | 21 | 8.7 |
| Fawad Ahmed | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 19 | 6.0 |
| JC Buttler | 6 | 202 | 34 | 143 | – | – | – | – |
| KR Patterson | 7 | 182 | 26 | 108 | – | – | – | – |
| RJ Gibson | 5 | 30 | 8 | 71 | – | – | – | – |
| AL Fekete | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 94 | 9.6 |
| AC Blizzard | 2 | 13 | 13 | 144 | – | – | – | – |
Sydney Sixers
Assessment: No good BBL campaign starts with six straight losses as the Sixers will look to salvage some pride having been eliminated from finals contention. Their batsmen have failed to produce with Test calibre players in Daniel Hughes, Nic Maddinson and Jordan Silk unable to find the form that has seen them on the fringes of baggy green selection. Moreover, Jason Roy and Sam Billings have left the Sixers for ODI duty without producing weighty runs for the Sixers outfit. They will receive an infusion of international players in Joe Denly, Carlos Brathwaite, Nathan Lyon and Jackson Bird to create a markedly different side. However, they have arrived with only the crowd’s affections to play for.
Key player: Nathan Lyon has surprisingly never been highly rated by the Australian limited overs selectors, who have seen him as a Test spinner. Given his continued success in the BBL and his genuine skill, it is not unlikely that he is given another run in the coloured clothes. As such, he will want to press his claims to be the short form spinner over Adam Zampa, who has failed to take wickets in this BBL so far but has retained his ODI spot.
Path to the finals: Thunder (H), Stars (A), Heat (H), Stars (H)
Changes: Test return – Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird, Intl return – Carlos Brathwaite, Joe Denly, ODI leave – Jason Roy, Sam Billings
Best XI onwards (bench is italicised):
| Bat inns | Runs | Ave | SR | Bowl inns | Wkts | Ave | Econ | |
| DP Hughes | 4 | 73 | 18 | 100 | – | – | – | – |
| JL Denly | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| NJ Maddinson | 6 | 123 | 21 | 110 | 1 | 0 | – | 14.0 |
| JC Silk | 4 | 156 | 52 | 130 | – | – | – | – |
| CR Brathwaite | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| J Botha | 4 | 61 | 20 | 105 | 6 | 2 | 63 | 6.9 |
| SA Abbott | 4 | 36 | 9 | 150 | 6 | 6 | 31 | 9.0 |
| PM Nevill | 4 | 64 | 16 | 97 | – | – | – | – |
| DR Sams | 3 | 1 | 1 | 33 | 6 | 7 | 25 | 7.9 |
| NM Lyon | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| JM Bird | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 31 | 7.8 |
| JJ Roy | 6 | 62 | 10 | 103 | – | – | – | – |
| SW Billings | 6 | 156 | 31 | 142 | – | – | – | – |
| MC Henriques | 2 | 14 | 7 | 100 | – | – | – | – |
| DE Bollinger | 1 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 1 | 65 | 9.3 |
| WER Somerville | – | – | – | – | 3 | 0 | – | 7.6 |
| BJ Dwarshuis | 4 | 42 | 42 | 145 | 4 | 5 | 23 | 7.3 |
Melbourne Stars
Assessment: Once again the Stars have failed to deliver with their highly regarded roster, which will now be viewed with lower expectations as it seems that many of their players are not the T20 powerhouses they once were. Emblematic of the Stars is the case of James Faulkner: once Australia’s finisher, his 108 runs for no dismissals might seem a return to form. However, they were struck at a strike-rate of 110, which is not up to standard for a player who comes in at the latter stages and has probably stymied the Stars’ innings. Moreover, his bowling, which once earned him player of the match in a World Cup final, has produced 2 wickets in 5 games, albeit at an economical rate. With Luke Wright and Kevin Pietersen set not to be in the green clothes next BBL, they will want to recruit smartly to bolster the side.
Key player: Glenn Maxwell, heeding the call of Stephen Fleming to take on more responsibility, has sacrificed speed for substance as he has taken on the role of the top batsman in a side which should be full of them. Earnestly wanting to return to the Australian sides, Maxwell will want to produce big runs in the BBL, which is increasingly (and probably frustratingly for players) a route towards selection.
Path to the finals: Renegades (A), Sixers (H), Thunder (H), Hurricanes (H)
Changes: ODI leave – Marcus Stoinis
Best XI onwards (bench is italicised):
| Bat inns | Runs | Ave | SR | Bowl inns | Wkts | Ave | Econ | |
| LJ Wright | 4 | 71 | 18 | 113 | – | – | – | – |
| BR Dunk | 5 | 59 | 12 | 120 | – | – | – | – |
| KP Pietersen | 4 | 85 | 21 | 121 | – | – | – | – |
| GJ Maxwell | 5 | 155 | 31 | 138 | 3 | 1 | 42 | 8.4 |
| RJ Quiney | 2 | 25 | 13 | 86 | – | – | – | – |
| SE Gotch | 1 | 14 | 14 | 78 | – | – | – | – |
| JP Faulkner | 4 | 108 | – | 110 | 5 | 2 | 34 | 6.7 |
| JW Hastings | 4 | 22 | 11 | 100 | 5 | 3 | 44 | 9.5 |
| L Bowe | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 21 | 10.5 |
| SM Boland | – | – | – | – | 3 | 1 | 92 | 11.5 |
| JR Coleman | – | – | – | – | 2 | 1 | 32 | 5.3 |
| MP Stoinis | 5 | 179 | 45 | 144 | 5 | 5 | 34 | 10.6 |
| PSP Handscomb | 2 | 9 | 5 | 69 | – | – | – | – |
| MA Beer | – | – | – | – | 4 | 3 | 29 | 7.4 |
| EP Gulbis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 9.0 |
| A Zampa | 2 | 4 | 4 | 100 | 5 | 2 | 69 | 7.8 |
Genuine Half-Volley 