Brisbane Heat will face Sydney Sixers in their 15th match of the 2024–25 Big Bash League, scheduled to take place at The Gabba on Sunday, 29 December.

Brisbane Heat will face Sydney Sixers in match 15 of the 2024–25 Big Bash League at the Gabba on Sunday 29 December.

Both Brisbane Heat and Sydney Sixers have come out of the gates quickly in this edition of the Big Bash League, but the latter come into this match with a 100 percent record.

Brisbane Heat beat Melbourne Stars and Adelaide Strikers before falling to Perth Scorchers, but Sydney Sixers beat Melbourne Renegades, Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Stars.

This match pits two of the most successful BBL franchises in recent years against each other, and although Sydney Sixers lead the aggregate score 14-7, Heat have been by far the more successful in recent encounters.

Match Preview

Brisbane Heat

Having enjoyed their first two matches of the season as fielders, Brisbane Heat found things much tougher in Match 12 when they were beaten by Perth Scorchers despite opting to chase after winning the coin toss.

Their bowlers performed passably, taking six wickets and restricting the Scorchers to 165 as Spencer Johnson announced his return to the tournament with a brilliant display of left-handed pace bowling. He took the now-customary first over wicket of Finn Allen before returning to dismiss Cooper Connolly in the 15th and Ashton Turner and Ashton Agar in the 19th.

Batting is the area that needs improvement in this match, with only Matt Renshaw and Max Bryant making it to double figures in Brisbane Heat's ultimately futile chase. In this game we expect Tom Banton, Jimmy Peirson, Colin Munro and Nathan McSweeney to all deliver.

Sydney Sixers

The Sydney Sixers have had many strong teams over the last decade but this latest reincarnation could be the best of them all! The Sixers, who went into this game having yet to win a game in this edition, managed to turn around after conceding 116/3 in the first ten overs against the Melbourne Stars and stormed home with eight wickets and 11 balls to spare.

From the bowling attack, only Jack Edwards comes into this game without a wicket in the last over and Jackson Bird stood out with figures of 3/35. It will turn at the Gabba, meaning Akeal Hosein and Todd Murphy will both be dangerous.

With the bat, it is England's James Vince who will be full of confidence after hitting an unbeaten 101 runs from 58 balls in the big win over the Melbourne Stars.

Pitch Report

The pitch at the Gabba is balanced and offers good competition between bat and ball. The surface offers plenty of bounce and pace and novice bowlers will have a lot of fun bowling here. As the ball softens, the batting will improve but batsmen will have to choose their shots carefully. Anything over 170 will be difficult to chase.

Toss Prediction

The Sydney Sixers have won all three of their matches when they fielded first and Brisbane Heat have done the same in their first two matches. We expect both captains to want to bowl first in this game.

Weather Report

There could be a lot of activity in the wicket at the start of play as very humid weather is forecast for Sunday with thunderstorms in the morning and early afternoon. Fortunately, play does not start until 6.15pm and the clouds should have cleared by then.

Head to Head

The two teams have faced each other in 21 matches. The Sixers have won 14 while Brisbane won 7.

Venue Details

The Gabba is one of the most famous stadiums in the world. Its distinctive yellow and brown seats sometimes make it difficult to see the red ball. There are no such problems with the white ball in the BBL and we expect a par score of around 180 on a pitch that will twist and bounce.

Match Prediction

Don't worry, Brisbane Heat are one of the strongest teams in the tournament, but they are going up against the strongest team we have seen so far. So far, Sydney Sixers have barely put a foot wrong and we expect them to pick up their fourth win in four games.

We're backing Sydney Thunder to win this game!

Betting Tips

The Sixers and Heat are two of the strongest teams this year and we expect an exciting contest. Although there is little difference between the two teams, we believe the Sixers have good momentum and could win here. Better shooting depth could make the difference in the end in the Sixers' favor.

Bet on a Sydney Sixers win.

Probable Playing XI

Brisbane Heat Playing XI

Tom Banton, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Colin Munro (c), Nathan McSweeney, Matt Renshaw, Max Bryant, Paul Walter, Xavier Bartlett, Mitchell Swepson, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann.

Sydney Sixers Playing XI

Josh Philippe (wk), James Vince, Moises Henriques (c), Jordan Silk, Jack Edwards, Lachlan Shaw, Hayden Kerr, Ben Dwarshuis, Akeal Hosein, Todd Murphy, Jackson Bird.

Top Fantasy Picks Dream11 Prediction

Brisbane Heat Key Players

Matt Renshaw is the highest run-getter for Brisbane Heat in this edition with 106 runs in three matches. He is a good choice for the captaincy.

Spencer Johnson was brilliant in all phases and finished with 4/21, generating good pace and bounce and causing all sorts of problems for the batsmen in the final over.

Sydney Sixers Key Players

James Vince scored his sixth T20 century in the previous match and led the chase against Stars with an unbeaten 58-ball 101.

Josh Phillipe seemed to be in good form, scoring 42 runs in the last game. He will also score points with his wicket-keeper.