Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Stars, BBL 2020-21, Fantasy Pick, team predictions

Pro Tip: Adelaide Oval has been the toughest ground for batsmen in BBL10, with an average of only 20.74 so far. Plus, teams batting first have a distant advantage here, so make sure you pick players accordingly after toss.

Our XI: Phil Salt, Alex Carey, Jake Weatherald, Rashid Khan, Wes Agar, Danny Briggs, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Adam Zampa, Harris Rauf

Substitutes: Nick Larkin, Billy Stanlake, Matt Renshaw, Jonathan Wells.

Player availability: Peter Siddle is not available for Strikers after suffering a thumb fracture in the last game.

The leading run scorer for Stars in BBL10 with 255 runs in seven innings had a couple of lean games with the bat. Maxwell, who is a master in middle overs with 206 runs at a strike-rate of 150.36, is due for a big knock. He did play spinners well in the recent series against India and the fact that he has not yet lost his wicket against Rashid Khan in his career should give him a lot of confidence.

Strikers' leading scorer in BBL10 with 258 runs in seven innings, Carey averages 36.80 at the Adelaide Oval, having scored 736 runs in 21 innings. He is one of the safest vice-captain options in BBL because of his consistency. He has also effected nine dismissals behind the stumps, the most in this edition of the BBL, which can give you additional points.

Marcus Stoinis: Last season's highest scorer has been in good form this season too. He has scored 230 runs in seven games at a strike-rate of 161.97, one of the best for an opener in this edition of BBL. His last couple of scores (97* and 34) suggests that he is back to his brilliant form.

Rashid Khan: The Afghanistan spinner has picked up 14 wickets in nine games at an average of 17.07 in this edition of the BBL. He is the highest wicket-taker at this venue too, picking up 35 wickets in 24 games at an average of 17.71. Against a team that has a bad record against spin in BBL10, averaging only 19.19, Khan is expected to be an impact player in this game.

Adam Zampa: Australia's first choice spinner in limited-overs cricket, Zampa had to miss a couple of games this season due to various reasons but has bowled extremely well. In his last five games, Zampa has picked up ten wickets. He was the best spinner in the league last season too, with 20 wickets in 12 games at an average of 16.20.

Phil Salt: Adelaide Oval's short boundaries on the sides will suit Salt, who plays his pulls shots exceptionally well having scored 201 runs in 79 balls. He has scored 311 runs in 12 games here and both his 50-plus scores in this edition of BBL have come at this venue - 51 off 31 balls and 59 off 42 balls.

Harris Rauf: Rauf has been a top performer for Stars, picking up 20 wickets in just ten games including a hat-trick against Sydney Thunder. He has since made his debut for Pakistan in T20Is and has picked up 16 wickets in 11 games; he is likely to continue his wicket-taking form in BBL10, too.