Big Bash League (BBL 2018/19): Melbourne Stars vs Perth Scorchers, Dream11 Today Match Prediction, Playing XI Updates & Fantasy Cricket Tips - January 9th, 2019

As the Big Bash League 2018-19 season approaches the half-way mark, Perth Scorchers take on a depleted Melbourne Stars in an attempt to win their second match of the season.

Perth Scorchers have lost five of their last six matches and are finding it increasingly difficult to break into the top half of the table with each passing game.

The Stars, on the other hand, have come back strong after a disappointing start to the season but with a number of their players leaving for national duty, they have their task cut out on Wednesday against the Scorchers.

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Squads to pick from:

Perth Scorchers:

Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kelly, Michael Klinger, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Joel Paris, Usman Qadir, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Sam Whiteman, David Willey

Melbourne Stars Squad:

Michael Beer, Jackson Bird, Scott Boland, Liam Bowe, Dwayne Bravo, Jackson Coleman, Travis Dean, Ben Dunk, Seb Gotch, Evan Gulbis, Peter Handscomb, Sandeep Lamichhane, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Jonathan Merlo, Marcus Stoinis, Daniel Worrall, Adam Zampa, Tom O'Donnell

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Playing XI Updates:

Melbourne Stars: Nic Maddinson returns for the Stars and finds himself in the captain's shoes with Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa leaving for national duty. While Nic Maddinson will come in for Maxwell, Jonathan Merlo and Liam Bowe are the prime contenders for the remaining vacant spots in the team.

Possible XI: Larkin, Dunk, Maddinson(C), Gotch(WK), Merlo, Bravo, Gulbis, Plunkett, Bowe, Beer and Boland

Perth Scorchers: Similar to the Stars, three of the Scorchers' players are also out for national duty. Jason Behrendorff, Mitchell Marsh and Jhye Richardson are in the ODI squad to face India and should be replaced by leggie, Usman Qadir, Matt Kelly and David Willey. Usman Qadir has looked good in the domestic competitions and this match could provide him with another opportunity to impress on a bigger stage.

Possible XI: Klinger, Bancroft(WK), Willey, Turner(C), Cartwright, Bosisto, Agar, Coulter Nile, Tye, Kelly and Qadir.

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Fantasy Tips and Suggestions:

Wicket-keeper: Cameron Bancroft has struggled so far in the BBL despite a decent outing against the Heat where he had to face Mujeeb in the first six overs. Seb Gotch, on the other hand, hasn't had many opportunities to showcase his talent, hence Bancroft should be the preferred keeper.

Batsmen: Ashton Turner has been in astonishing form and nearly took the Scorchers home in their last away match against the Thunder. He should be one of the first names on your fantasy teams and should accompany Michael Klinger, who is slowly finding his feet in the competition. The returning Nic Maddinson was brilliant towards the end of the last BBL season and should perform well against the Scorchers. Either of Ben Dunk or an in-form Nick Larkin are great selections to look into.

All-rounders: Dwayne Bravo and Ashton Agar are the ideal candidates to be picked with both of them in good bowling form over the course of the tournament. Ashton Agar has been promoted on a number of occasions as well and could be a bankable option.

Bowlers: Liam Plunkett, Scott Boland, Andrew Tye and Nathan Coulter-Nile are four bowlers who bowl at the start and at the end where the bulk of the wickets seem to fall in T20 cricket. With all four bowlers capable of wreaking havoc on their day, all of them are valuable commodities in fantasy leagues.

Captain: On a competitive MCG wicket, one would prefer to have an experienced batsman or an all-rounder as their captain. Michael Klinger, Nic Maddinson or even Dwayne Bravo are ones to keep an eye on with all of them itching to put in a season-defining performance on Wednesday.

Fantasy Suggestion #1: Cameron Bancroft (WK), Michael Klinger, Ashton Turner, Nic Maddinson, Ben Dunk, Dwayne Bravo, Ashton Agar, Andrew Tye, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Scott Boland and Liam Plunkett. Captain: Michael Klinger

Fantasy Suggestion #2: Cameron Bancroft(WK), Michael Klinger, Hilton Cartwright, Nick Larkin, Ben Dunk, Dwayne Bravo, Ashton Agar, Andrew Tye, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Liam Plunkett and Liam Bowe. Captain: Dwayne Bravo