Thunder v Heat BBL12 betting tips | The Eliminator | 27/1/23

The BBL12 Finals begin with The Eliminator taking place at the Sydney Showgrounds between the Sydney Thunder and Brisbane Heat.

The Heat won four of their last five games to get themselves into the Finals, and arguably should have beaten the Hurricanes last start, while the Thunder have limped into the top five of the competition, having only won three of their last seven games.

The two times these sides met, the Thunder struck hard at this ground where they beat the Heat by 10 wickets in a poor bowling display from the Heat, before the Thunder backed up their efforts on the Gold Coast and beat the Heat again by 11 runs. These two sides have changed drastically since those two matches, but will the Heat be able to find a way to bounce back against the Thunder?

The Heat will be sweating on the fitness of middle order import batter Sam Hain, but otherwise have found ways of winning since back to back losses to the Scorchers earlier this year. The Heat have been in much better form over the last month, showing they can win away from home. The Heat are the more likely side to win this match paying $1.95.

Despite being run out against the Hurricanes on Wednesday, Matt Renshaw has found form in the back end of the competition, particularly on slower wickets outside of The Gabba. He batted brilliantly against the Stars at the MCG when he scored 90 not out and pioneered the run chase. Against the Thunder, Renshaw could have to play a similar role and is great value to be the team’s leading run scorer paying $5.

The last time these two sides met at the Sydney Showgrounds, Usman Qadir and Chris Green were the main wicket takes for the Thunder. The Heat will need to take a leaf from the Thunder’s book and look to Mitch Swepson for leadership. He is the Heat’s premier spinner who has bowled well recently without having the wickets to really show for it. On the big stage, look for Swepson to stand up and take 2+ wickets for the Heat paying $2.50.

Key matchup: David Warner v Usman Khawaja

The battle of the Australian Test opening partnership will be fascinating to watch, given the understanding of how these players operate. On the big stage in an Elimination final, as leaders of their side and batting orders, these two men should be looking to shoulder the bulk of the run scoring for their side. Their form since joining the BBL this season has been below expectations. Whoever can stand up on the big stage, rise to those expectations and lead their side better will go a long way to dictating the outcome of this match.

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