Melbourne Stars Women vs Hobart Hurricanes Women Prediction, 2nd Match, WBBL 2026

Melbourne Stars Women vs Hobart Hurricanes Women prediction: The second match of the Women’s Big Bash League 2026 takes place at Junction Oval, Melbourne, on Thursday, 29 October 2026. The Melbourne Stars will face the defending champions, Hobart Hurricanes, in the evening fixture of the tournament’s opening-day double-header. The match is scheduled for 1:40 PM IST (7:10 PM local time).

Melbourne Stars have assembled a squad featuring experienced international players Meg Lanning, Annabel Sutherland, Kim Garth, Amy Jones and Danielle Gibson. Lanning returns to the captaincy for WBBL|12, while Sutherland can concentrate more fully on her all-round contribution. That combination gives the Stars experience at the top of the order and several options for building a flexible bowling attack.

Hobart Hurricanes enter the tournament as defending champions after winning their maiden WBBL title in the previous season. Nicola Carey takes over as captain following Elyse Villani’s retirement, while overseas additions Chamari Athapaththu and Chinelle Henry strengthen the team’s all-round options. Lizelle Lee and Danni Wyatt-Hodge provide further international batting experience, although Wyatt-Hodge has been ruled out for this season and replaced by Athapaththu.

The teams’ recent meetings suggest that this could be a competitive contest. Hobart beat Melbourne convincingly in December 2025, but the Stars defeated the Hurricanes in another WBBL meeting that November. Results from the 2026 T20 Spring Challenge also show that both sides have experienced wins and defeats in the build-up to the new season.

The central question is whether Melbourne’s experienced batting order can cope with Hobart’s varied bowling attack. Conversely, the Hurricanes must demonstrate that their championship-winning balance remains effective after changes to their leadership and overseas-player combination.

Melbourne Stars Women vs Hobart Hurricanes Women — Match Details

Melbourne Stars Women Last 5 Matches

Hobart Hurricanes Women Last 5 Matches

Melbourne Stars Women Preview

Melbourne Stars enter WBBL|12 with a squad that combines international batting experience, seam-bowling depth and versatile all-rounders. Meg Lanning returns as captain, with Annabel Sutherland, Kim Garth, Amy Jones and Danielle Gibson among the key players expected to shape the team’s campaign.

Batting strengths

Lanning’s experience at the top of the order gives Melbourne a reliable option for managing the powerplay and building an innings. Amy Jones provides another international batting option, while Sutherland and Gibson can accelerate during the middle and death overs.

The Stars’ final two Spring Challenge results are encouraging. They chased 130 against ACT Meteors and then successfully pursued 156 against Sydney Sixers, finishing on 158/5. Those performances suggest that the batting order can recover from difficult starts and maintain a scoring rate during a chase.

Against Hobart, Melbourne should aim to avoid losing multiple wickets early. The Hurricanes have several bowling options, so a stable opening partnership would allow Lanning and the middle order to choose their attacking moments rather than being forced into an early recovery.

Bowling and all-round depth

Sutherland and Garth are central to Melbourne’s balance because they can contribute in more than one discipline. Sophie Day and Charlie Dean offer spin options, while Georgia Prestwidge and the other seam resources can help the captain adjust to conditions. The squad also includes Maisy Gibson, Rhys McKenna and other developing players.

Melbourne’s recent matches illustrate both the potential and the risk in their approach. Their 179/6 against the Renegades showed considerable scoring ability, but the opposition still won by one run. The bowling group will need to close innings more effectively, particularly when defending a total above 160.

Main weaknesses and route to victory

The clearest concern is consistency. The Stars were dismissed for 78 against Sydney Thunder before recovering with two wins, indicating that their batting can be vulnerable when early wickets disrupt the planned approach.

Melbourne should use Lanning’s experience to establish a platform, preserve wickets for the final overs and avoid giving Hobart’s spinners easy opportunities to build pressure. With the ball, early wickets against Lizelle Lee and Chamari Athapaththu would be especially valuable.

Hobart Hurricanes Women Preview

Hobart Hurricanes arrive as defending WBBL champions, but their squad has changed since their title-winning campaign. Nicola Carey is the new captain following Elyse Villani’s retirement, and Chamari Athapaththu has replaced the unavailable Danni Wyatt-Hodge. The squad also includes Lizelle Lee, Heather Graham, Chinelle Henry and several specialist bowlers.

Batting strengths

Lizelle Lee is an important attacking option at the top of the order. Her ability to score boundaries in the powerplay could prevent Melbourne’s bowlers from establishing early control. Athapaththu adds another international batter who can also contribute with the ball, giving Hobart flexibility in their batting order.

Nicola Carey, Heather Graham and Chinelle Henry offer additional depth. Their ability to contribute in different phases means Hobart do not need to depend entirely on their openers, although a strong start would make the innings easier to manage.

The Hurricanes’ recent scoring record has been mixed. They made 127/7 against ACT Meteors but managed only 129/8 against the Renegades in their latest completed Spring Challenge fixture. Their batting needs to convert promising starts into more competitive totals against a Melbourne side that recently chased 156 successfully.

Bowling and all-round options

Hobart’s squad includes Heather Graham, Chinelle Henry, Nicola Carey, Chamari Athapaththu and a range of specialist bowlers, including Molly Strano, Lauren Smith and Linsey Smith. This gives the captain several combinations of pace, spin and all-round support.

The bowling attack will need to be particularly disciplined against Lanning and Jones. Melbourne’s recent successful chase of 155 shows that the Stars can maintain control deep into an innings. Hobart should therefore focus on taking wickets as well as restricting boundaries, rather than simply defending a particular score.

The Hurricanes also need to improve their control in the middle overs. Their defeats to Adelaide and Perth suggest that conceding a substantial first-innings total could put pressure on the batting order.

Main weaknesses and route to victory

Hobart’s recent preparation results are a concern, but the sample is small and includes matches played with different combinations from those expected in the WBBL season.

Their best route to victory is to use Lee and Athapaththu to establish a competitive powerplay, then rely on Carey, Graham and Henry for middle-order stability. With the ball, the Hurricanes need early wickets and a disciplined death-over plan.

As defending champions, Hobart have a strong recent tournament achievement behind them, but their new leadership combination will need to translate that experience into performance in the opening match.

Team Squad and Team News

Team news

• Melbourne Stars: Meg Lanning returns to the captaincy, with Annabel Sutherland continuing as a major all-round contributor.
• Hobart Hurricanes: Nicola Carey takes over as captain after Elyse Villani’s retirement. Chamari Athapaththu replaces Danni Wyatt-Hodge, who has been ruled out for the season.

Probable Playing XI

Probable XIs are subject to official team announcements and the toss.

Dream11 Prediction: Fantasy Picks

Captain options

1. Annabel Sutherland — Her all-round role gives her opportunities to contribute with both bat and ball.
2. Chamari Athapaththu — She offers a combination of top-order batting and bowling potential.

Vice-captain options

1. Meg Lanning — Her experience and top-order role give her a good opportunity to accumulate runs.
2. Nicola Carey — Her all-round role may provide points in more than one discipline.

Fantasy disclaimer: Fantasy suggestions are for informational purposes only and are not guaranteed to produce points or returns.

Head-to-Head: Melbourne Stars Women vs Hobart Hurricanes Women

Last 5 Head-to-Head Matches

Hobart have won three of the five meetings listed, compared with two victories for Melbourne. That gives the Hurricanes a modest historical advantage, although the Stars’ 37-run victory in November 2025 demonstrates that they can win convincingly against this opponent.

How the pitch could influence the match

The historical scoring average suggests that Junction Oval can support competitive batting totals. A score around 150 provides a reasonable starting reference, although the actual conditions and batting approach could push the total higher or lower.

Melbourne’s spin options, including Sophie Day and Charlie Dean, may be useful during the middle overs. Hobart have their own spin resources through Molly Strano and Linsey Smith, while their seam-bowling options provide variety at the start and end of the innings.

Weather Report: Melbourne

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology forecast issued on 28 October indicates cloudy conditions in Melbourne on Thursday, with a maximum temperature around 19°C, a 20% chance of rain and west-to-southwesterly winds of 15–20 km/h, becoming lighter during the evening.

Broadcast Details

The match is scheduled for 1:40 PM IST on 29 October 2026 at Junction Oval, Melbourne. The Melbourne Stars’ official fixture listing identifies Channel 7, 7plus, Kayo and Foxtel among the tournament’s broadcast platforms.

• Australia: Check Channel 7, 7plus, Kayo Sports or Foxtel.
• India: fancode

Toss Prediction and Strategy

If Melbourne Stars Women win the toss

Melbourne could consider bowling first. The historical Junction Oval dataset favours chasing sides, and the Stars have a range of spin and seam options to manage Hobart’s batting order. Their decision should depend on the surface, overhead conditions and the final XI.

If Hobart Hurricanes Women win the toss

Hobart could also consider bowling first. Their bowling group offers a mix of seam and spin, and an early breakthrough against Lanning or Jones could create pressure. The historical chasing trend supports this option, although the actual pitch and the condition of the ball should guide the final decision.

Toss Prediction

Predicted toss winner: Melbourne Stars Women.

This is a low-confidence prediction because the toss is random. The recommendation to bowl first is based primarily on historical venue results, not an assumption that chasing will always be easier.

Score Prediction

Winning Chances

Why the Win Percentage?

Key Player Matchups

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