The 2022/23 Big Bash League final takes place this weekend, with the Perth Scorchers taking on the Brisbane Heat in Saturday's final. The Scorchers are the defending champions, and have home advantage. The Heat are in their second ever final, and are the underdogs. Can Brisbane upset the Scorchers? Let's take a look with our latest cricket betting picks.
- What; Big Bash League 2022/23 Final
- Who; Perth Scorchers vs Brisbane Heat
- Where; Perth Stadium, Perth, Western Australia
- When; Saturday, February 4th, 2023
- Time; 3.30 AM ET
The Scorchers qualified for the final by defeating the Sydney Sixers by 7 wickets in the Qualifier.
The Perth Scorchers are into the #BBL12 Final!
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 28, 2023
The Brisbane Heat got to the final by also defeating the Sixers, this time by 4 wickets, in the match that is known as the Challenger.
The Scorchers and the Sixers are widely regarded as the best two teams in the competition. They finished first and second respectively in the BBL table, well clear of the chasing pack. The Brisbane Heat finished fifth in the table and qualified for the post-season by the finest of margins.
Big Bash League 2022/23 Betting
The Perth Scorchers are the defending champions, and they are also the favorites to win the 2023 Big Bash League final. The Scorchers have been favorites just about all season.
The team captained by Ashton Turner are just -275 to win on Saturday with the best online cricket betting sites. The Brisbane Heat are the outsiders at +220. These odds are taken from Bovada, you can read more about them here in our Bovada review.
Perth Scorchers looking for back-to-back titles
The Scorchers are the defending champions having won the title by beating the Sydney Sixers by a massive 79 runs to win their fourth title 12 months ago.
We're more than just #MADETOUGH, we're a #MADETOUGH family 𧥠#BBL11CHAMPIONS pic.twitter.com/3NmilRQTdN
— Perth Scorchers (@ScorchersBBL) January 28, 2022
This season they have continued to dominate, topping the regular-season points table, and qualifying for the final with relative ease.
As winners of the league table, the Scorchers went straight to the Qualifier (semi-final) match against the Sydney Sixers. They won that match at a canter to qualify for their third successive final, sending the Sixers into the Challenger match against the Brisbane Heat.
Heat win nervy Challenger match against favorites Sydney Sixers
And what a match that was between the Sixers and the Brisbane Heat. Ultimately, it was won by the Heat.
The match was regarded as a massive upset with the Heat winning in the Sixersâ backyard. It was a tight match that could have gone either way, but in the end the Heat won by 4 wickets with 10 balls remaining.
Into the big dance! đ #HeatWIN #BBLFinals #BringTheHEAT #BBL12 pic.twitter.com/Qpw6umJTC2
— Brisbane Heat (@HeatBBL) February 2, 2023
Both the Heat and the Sydney Sixers went into the match trying to plug gaping holes in their respective teams. Thanks to international call ups for the Australian Test team, the Sixers were without Steve Smith, and the Heat were missing three star players, captain Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw. The three players will also miss Saturdayâs final.
The loss of the main bulk of the Heatâs batting made the Sixers the overwhelming favorites. But after being restricted to just 116/9 from their 20 Overs, the Sixers looked anything but the favorites.
In normal circumstances chasing 117 to win a T20 match should be a routine event. But these werenât normal circumstances. Batting conditions were tricky, and the Heat were batting for a place in the final. Nerves of steel were needed, and at 56/5 (in reply to the Sixers 116), the pressure was on the Heat as they looked to have blown their chance.
The big moment in the match was the 16th Over, when needing 31 runs from 30 balls, Michael Neser started the Over with four successive fours off the bowling of Hayden Kerr. This was the impetus that the Heat needed, and it released the pressure in what was becoming an unbelievably tense match that could have gone either way.
So, can the Heat repeat Thursdayâs win on Saturday and cause a second major upset? Letâs take a look with our cricket betting picks.
BBL 2022/23 Betting Picks
The Scorchers are the overwhelming favorites, and there's good reasons for this. They are the defending champions, in their third successive final, and they are also a well oiled T20-format machine. Then there is the Heat missing their three main batters, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw.
The only thing the Heat has going in their favor as things stand is momentum. They are on a three-match winning streak, and have won seven of their last eight. Also going in their favor - as youâve read above - is theyâve just won an exceptionally high pressure, tight match, against a top side. The win over the Sixers shows they have what it takes.
But Brisbane didnât face the Scorchers in that recent good run of form. The last time they faced the Scorchers was in the match before that sequence. They lost that convincingly by 8 wickets with 22 balls remaining. The match prior to that against the Scorchers was no different. Another hammering, this time by 7 wickets with 21 balls remaining.
The Scorchers have also won seven of their last eight, and are on a winning streak of four. So the only conclusion here has to be that both sides are in good form. But the Scorchers are also a proven better team. If they were out of form, weâd have a call to make. But as things stand, and with the cricket odds as they are, the only logical pick we can choose to win this match is the Perth Scorchers.
