It’s all led up to this! The Perth Scorchers will take on the Brisbane Heat in Saturday night’s huge BBL Final, with the winner to be crowned BBL12 Champions!

The Scorchers have been the team to beat all tournament, but the Heat are definitely a surprise opponent for this year’s decider.

Draftstars have put up a heap of contests to suit every budget, so check out Josh Nevett’s DFS tips for this huge clash.

Perth Scorchers vs Brisbane Heat

Scorchers Squad: Ashton Turner, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Stephen Eskinazi, Aaron Hardie, Peter Hatzoglou, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis, Lance Morris, David Payne, Chris Sabburg, Andrew Tye, Matt Kelly

Heat Squad: Jimmy Peirson, Xavier Bartlett, James Bazley, Josh Brown, Max Bryant, Sam Hain, Sam Heazlett, Spencer Johnson, Matt Kuhnemann, Nathan McSweeney, Michael Neser, Will Prestwidge, Mark Steketee, Ross Whiteley, Jack Wildermuth 

The whole city of Perth has jumped on the Scorchers train, which has been a direct express to glory throughout this campaign.

The Scorchers have lost just three of their 15 games this season, an incredible feat considering that there were several hurdles early on.

Perth lost Mitch Marsh and Laurie Evans on the eve of the campaign and have been without Jhye Richardson for most of the year, so others have had to stand up.

Rising all-rounder Aaron Hardie and wicket-keeper Josh Inglis have both topped 400 runs to prop up Perth’s batting, while Cameron Bancroft and Ashton Turner have also contributed strongly.

On the bowling front, Andrew Tye has been at his brilliant best with 25 wickets, and Jason Behrendorff has been a consistent weapon with the new ball.

Perth’s incredible riches of talent will see them enter the final confident of securing a record fifth title.

Brisbane are undoubtedly massive underdogs for this clash, but their road to the final has been inspirational.

After struggling early in the season, the Heat came home like a house on fire, qualifying for the finals before downing the Renegades in The Knockout.

Test stars Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw helped to fuel the late season surge, but all three were forced to leave the squad before Thursday night’s Challenger against the Sixers.

Nevertheless, the undermanned Heat produced one of the best performances in their history to win by four wickets away from home, booking their spot in The Final.

Unsurprisingly, Michael Neser was the hero. The fan favourite took 2-28 before backing it up with a match-winning knock of 48* off 32 balls, including the winning runs.

Neser will have to back up that effort if the Heat are to cause a second consecutive upset and claim a title for the ages.

Fantasy Plays

Love It – Max Bryant ($8,800)

Come this stage of the tournament, there aren’t many quality options available in DFS, but Bryant is someone I have my eye on for The Final. The Heat batsman has found a new lease on life as a middle order hitter, with two 50+ DFS scores this campaign, one of which came against the Scorchers. I expect Brisbane to lose early wickets, so Bryant should have plenty of time at the crease to make his mark.

Love It – Ashton Turner ($13,800)

Turner simply LOVES playing at home. The Scorchers skipper scored 138 in The Qualifier against the Sixers and has also managed scores of 127 and 95 at the venue. As such, he is a great pick at under $14k, especially considering he can play a role with the ball if required.

Don’t Love It – James Bazley ($15,200)

Bazley held his nerve to help the Heat to a win on Thursday, but he has lost fantasy relevance in recent times. Picked as an all-rounder, Bazley’s bowling has been underutilised and he has failed to make an impact with the bat when provided opportunities. At over $15k, it’s hard to back him in against Perth’s world-class batting line-up.

Don’t Love It – Sam Heazlett ($10,700)

Heazlett returned to the Heat XI for the first time this season in The Challenger, picked as an opening batsman. The left-hander played aggressively from the get-go, producing 15 fantasy points in the process. Unfortunately, a short-lived is not what we are after in DFS, and I expect the Scorchers to dismiss Heazlett quickly on Saturday.

Who Knows – Michael Neser ($20,700)

There is no questioning that Neser is one of the best players in this competition. What does remain in doubt is whether the fan-favourite Queenslander can produce another team-lifting performance in the biggest game of the season. Neser managed 121 against the Sixers, can he do the same again against the Scorchers?

Suggested Draftstars Line-up

 

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