Strikers vs Stars, 34th Match at Melbourne, BBL, Jan 13 2026 - Match Result

That concludes our Big Bash League coverage for today. Thank you for joining us! This is Rashad Mahbub, signing off on behalf of Chetan Kumar. Adios!

Mathi: "Has Stars qualified????" Yes, they have.

Marcus Stoinis: "[Thumb injury] I'm alright. Honestly, I wanted to stay out there, but Lynny [Lynn] and Shorty [Short] talked some sense into me and told me to get off. I don't think that was his [Maxwell's] type of wicket. To be honest, I don't think it was anyone's type of wicket. It's probably one for the MCG to chat about. Tommy Curran has been unbelievable. His reading of the play and his use of the slower ball at the right time are superb. The pitch maps showed how well he grouped his deliveries; that's something we pride ourselves on as a bowling group. To have him bowling those overs early and taking wickets makes my job easy. [What pleased you the most?] A few things. Our bowling group has stayed in the game regardless of the conditions by sticking to clear, simple plans. They aren't always easy to execute, but everyone has been relentless. Then you have guys like Sam Harper with the bat. They came into this season under pressure, but the way they've performed isn't an accident. Their plans are clear and they are using the whole ground. I couldn't be happier for them. [Battle with Maxwell for the Stars leading run scorer] Maybe we'll talk about it; I don't know! Honestly, I hope Glenn plays for another five years; he can have the record if he commits to that! [Middle order] As a group, we've been communicating really well. Sometimes in the middle, it's easy to get carried away with strike rates or the pressure from the fans. It's just about reminding each other what we do well and keeping it simple. [Boosting the NRR] There was a slight thought at the start, but once we saw how the ball reacted in the first couple of overs, we decided to just bank the win. We back ourselves to win anywhere, so whatever happens, happens. We're in the finals now. [Pitch] I don't know what we're allowed to say these days without getting in trouble, but it wasn't ideal. It's the same wicket we used against the Sixers, which was also tough. We played on it last year too, and it wasn't great then either. We just want the best possible cricket wicket, so hopefully, those conversations can happen."

Player of the Match, Tom Curran: "The table was getting really tight, so we knew tonight was a big game. To qualify is the first step. Now, let's see how the next week goes; hopefully, we can secure that top-two spot because it's a massive advantage." [Bowling] Very pleased. It's nice to contribute. Like I said, it was a big game for us. Now we want to go down to Perth and hopefully lock in that top-two finish. [Pitch] It's always a bit easier later in the innings, but there was definitely something in the wicket--a little bit of nip and some invariable bounce. I thought we all bowled nicely. Those low chases are always niggly, so to get the runs is a big win. It was a great team performance."

10:26 pm On a surface where almost none of the batters could find the middle of the bat with ease, the bowlers exploited the conditions to perfection, completely stifling the batting sides. The Stars faced their own challenges during the chase of an 84-run target, losing the in-form Sam Harper in the second over thanks to a moment of individual brilliance from the substitute fielder Mackenzie Harvey at deep third man. By the end of the Powerplay, the Stars were wobbling at 13/2 as the Strikers' bowlers continued to hit the deck hard. However, Macdonald and Rogers managed to steady the ship, rotating the strike effectively after negating the new ball. The partnership was eventually broken by Scott, who enticed Macdonald into a slog that was safely caught at long-on. While Rogers and Stoinis batted in the middle overs well, Rogers eventually departed for 32 runs, caught at deep midwicket. Then Marcus Stoinis was forced to retire hurt after a sharp bouncer from Jamie Overton struck him on the thumb. Despite the difficulties, the Melbourne Stars secured the victory, qualified for the Playoffs and moved up to second place in the standings.

Shab: "While renegades still have an outside chance but effectively it will come down to between Heat and Sixes. I hope Sixers don't win their next game so their last game against Heat becomes a knockout game for both teams! Will spice things up!"

Matt: "Like your thinking, Qasim. Encourages risk-taking and attacking play. "

Melbourne Stars won by 6 wickets

Qasim: "My Take on the Power Surge is more of it PLEASE!! so if a team scores more than 30 in the allotted 2 overs of Power surge will get an additional over of Power surge which they can take at the time of their choosing...what say?"

Hilton Cartwright is the new batter in

Shadow-Shell: "@Hayes If we never messed with the rules of the game, we'll still be playing only timeless test matches"

Tom Curran is in at number 6

Jack: "Rather than fiddling with Power Surge, award bonus point if team finishes entire 20 overs within stipulated time of 90 mins. For second innings, use the average of completed overs and extrapolate time for 20 overs to see if the bowling team was on target."

Power Surge is on. Overton to bowl out.

Matthew: "Bonus point for not using the Surge sounds like it would heavily favour the chasing team."

Mero: "This performance for the Stars really spices the tournament up. By the looks of it, the Hurricanes, Scorchers, and the Stars look like top contenders - if they already weren't "

Hayes: "Here's an interesting take. Stop messing with the rules of the game to try and make it "more interesting". Every rule change makes the game more boring."

James: "More from me. Teams may play defensively: Instead of using the Power Surge to maximize scoring, sides might avoid it just to chase the bonus point, reducing aggressive play.Contradicts the purpose of the rule: The Power Surge was introduced to increase excitement and scoring opportunities. Incentivizing teams not to use it undermines that goal."

James: "Power Surge is meant to be a tactical advantage: Removing it for a bonus point would encourage teams to deliberately handicap themselves, distorting the balance of the game.Unequal incentives: Teams batting second might find it easier to skip the Power Surge if they're already ahead, while teams batting first face more uncertainty."

kristan: "I think a better variation on that rule is the team batting g second doesn't get a power surge (or alternatively the team batting first gets 4 overs). We need to even the playing field. "

Pope returns to the attack. Long discussion with Short.