15 all out to the finals: Sydney Thunder eye late run in 'rollercoaster' season
They will face Brisbane Heat in the Eliminator on Friday after a rocky chase against Melbourne Stars
AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff
26-Jan-2023
David Warner skied a catch early in his innings to continue a lean BBL • Getty Images
Returning allrounder Jason Sangha believes Sydney Thunder can cause some trouble in the BBL finals after sneaking into the top-five.
Thunder locked in the last spot in the BBL finals with a tense three-wicket win against the lowly Melbourne Stars at the MCG on Wednesday night.
The unconvincing victory allowed the Thunder to jump into fourth to secure a home final, knocking Hobart down to sixth. Thunder will host Brisbane at Sydney Showground Stadium on Friday night.
"Looking back at our season, it has been a bit of a rollercoaster," Sangha said. "The one good thing is we've managed to find a way in those tight situations, we're just finding ways to win.
"In the finals series, all you need is a couple of things to go your way. For us going forward is just recognising those key moments in a game."
The clash with Thunder was Sangha's first game since he broke his collarbone on December 18. Despite being named captain for this season, the captaincy was left with Chris Green after the spinner had done the job for most of the tournament.
But Thunder are likely to be without paceman Gurinder Sandhu against Heat after the 29-year-old suffered another calf injury. However, David Warner, who has yet to leave a mark on the tournament, will be available and would also play the Knockout if Thunder qualify before flying out to India with the Test squad.
Thunder's appearance in the finals looked shaky at numerous stages throughout the campaign, with the low-point coming when they were all-out for a T20 record low of 15 against Adelaide Strikers.
The winner of the clash between Thunder and Heat will back up on Sunday night for another sudden-death match against Melbourne Renegades.
Top teams Perth Scorchers and Sydney Sixers will battle on Saturday night in front of up to 50,000 fans at Optus Stadium.
The winner of that match will earn hosting rights for the final on February 4, with the loser to play the winner of Sunday night's match at Marvel Stadium.