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A snapshot of the five teams that will do battle in the BBL09 finals series.
A SNAPSHOT OF THE BBL09 FINALISTS
* MELBOURNE STARS
Finished: 1st Wins: 10 Losses: 4
The Stars have lost their past three games and need to rediscover their mojo quickly. Marcus Stoinis is leading the golden bat by a country mile and Glenn Maxwell has turned it on here and there but they need a few more solid contributors in the middle order. Pakistani sensation Haris Rauf back from international duty is a huge plus.
* SYDNEY SIXERS
Finished: 2nd Wins: 9 Losses: 4 No Result: 1
The Sixers take a three-game winning streak into the finals and also received arguably the biggest talent boost of the finalists with Steve Smith and Josh Hazlewood back from ODI duties. Smith's last innings was an unbeaten 66 and the Sixers will be hard to stop if the master stroke-player maintains that form.
* ADELAIDE STRIKERS
Finished: 3rd Wins: 8 Losses: 5 No Result: 1
The Strikers have three of the top six wicket-takers in the tournament in Rashid Khan, Peter Siddle and Wes Agar and also scored the most runs in the league, with Jon Wells leading the way. Alex Carey and Travis Head loom as key figures after missing large chunks of the season with the national team.
* HOBART HURRICANES
Finished: 4th Wins: 6 Losses: 7 No Result: 1
The Hurricanes booked their finals berth in emphatic fashion, with Matthew Wade belting an unbeaten 130 in a win over the Strikers on their home turf. D'Arcy Short has enjoyed a good tournament at the top of the order and taken a five-for with the ball. Quick Scott Boland leads the way with 14 wickets, but Hobart's attack is arguably the least menacing of all finalists.
* SYDNEY THUNDER
Finished: 5th Wins: 6 Losses: 7 No Result: 1
Only Marcus Stoinis has scored more runs than Alex Hales this season, but the Thunder's overall run tally is the lowest in the competition by a wide margin. Usman Khawaja hasn't scored as many runs as he'd like at the top of the order and needs to hit his straps. Daniel Sams is an obvious threat with the ball, having set a new record with 25 wickets.
