Brisbane Heat will take on Hobart Hurricanes in the 29th match of the BBL 2023-24 on Sunday (January 7) at The Gabba in Brisbane. Heat have been the most successful team this season with five wins in seven matches and are at the top of the points table. Hurricanes have won and lost three matches each and are in fifth place in the ponts tally.

Both teams have played a total of 22 matches against each other. Heat have won nine matches, while the Hurricanes have been victorious on 13 occasions. Hurricanes have won three out of the last five matches against the Heat.

Hurricanes faced Melbourne Renegades in their last game and elected to bowl. Renegades faced an early setback, losing their first wicket, Shaun Marsh, for a duck. Despite losing two more wickets with just 50 runs on the board, Jordan Cox and Jonathan Wells formed a crucial partnership of 66 runs for the fourth wicket. Cox fell short of a half-century, scoring 47 runs, while Wells remained unbeaten on 38 runs off 25 deliveries. Renegades posted a total of 147 runs for the loss of four wickets. Tim David, Riley Meredith, Nathan Ellis, and Nikhil Chaudhary took one wicket each for the Hurricanes.

In response, Hurricanes also faced early challenges, losing their first three wickets before reaching the 50-run mark. However, Sam Hain and Corey Anderson played a pivotal role in steering the innings. The duo added 84 runs for the fourth wicket, with Hain making 51 runs off 36 deliveries. Anderson remained unbeaten on 41 runs off 35 deliveries as Hurricanes reached the target of 148 runs in 18.4 overs with six wickets in hand. Fergus O’Neill was the standout bowler for the Renegades, taking two wickets for 25 runs in four overs.

In the recent match against the Sydney Sixers, the Brisbane Heat opted to bowl after winning the toss. The Sixers posted a total of 141 runs for the loss of eight wickets, with Josh Philippe being the top-scorer with 41 runs off 36 deliveries. The Heat’s bowlers, including Paul Walter and Matthew Kuhnemann, were instrumental in taking wickets.

During the run chase, the Heat scored 104 runs for the loss of four wickets in 14.3 overs before rain interrupted the match. Paul Walter, who contributed with both bat and ball, played a crucial role, hitting two boundaries in the 15th over. The Heat were three runs ahead of the DLS par score, securing a narrow victory by three runs in a rain-affected contest.

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The Gabba in Brisbane will likely have a lot to offer to the batters in this match. The average first innings score in the last five T20 matches at this venue has been 178 runs. The team winning the toss might look to bowl.