The Sydney Thunder (THU) will be hosting the Hobart Hurricanes (HUR) as the Match No. 21 of the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) 2025-26 will be played on Saturday, January 3 at the Sydney Showground Stadium.

The Sydney Thunder seem to be running on a lost track. The side has won only one match out of the five games played. The David Warner-led side will be entering the upcoming fixture on the back of consecutive losses in the preceding two fixtures against Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Stars, respectively. Since the competition is tough, the side is in a dire need for a win in this clash, and would be playing their best cricket.

On the other hand, the Hobart Hurricanes are playing like true defending champions. Out of the six matches in the ongoing season, they have lost only two games, and are placed comfortably on the second spot. However, a win on a Saturday evening will take them to the top of the table, and they would certainly not mind something like that.

Match Details

Match	Sydney Thunder vs Hobart Hurricanes, Match 21, BBL 2025-26
Date and Time (IST)	Saturday, January 3; 1:45 PM
Venue	Sydney Showground Stadium
Broadcast and Live-Streaming	JioStar Network Channels and JioHotstar (App and Website)

Sydney Showground Stadium — Pitch Report

The Sydney Showground Stadium has shown its assistance to the batters more often than not, especially in the first innings. However, the pitch gets slower and run-scoring might get difficult during run chases here. In the previous encounter as well, Perth Scorchers were able to post well over 200 while batting first, but the Thunder failed to chase, which can be largely attributed to the changing nature of the pitch. As a result, bowling first may not be the best choice after winning the toss here.

THU vs HUR: Head-to-Head Record in T20s

Matches Played	23
THU Won	8
HUR Won	15
Tied / No Results	0
First-ever fixture	January 01, 2012 (HUR Won)
Most-recent fixture	January 27, 2025 (HUR Won)

THU vs HUR: Predicted Playing 11s Sydney Thunder

David Warner (captain), Sam Konstas, Cameron Bancroft, Matthew Gilkes, Sam Billings (wicketkeeper), Shadab Khan, Daniel Sams, Chris Green, Nathan McAndrew, Tanveer Sangha, Reece Topley

Hobart Hurricanes

Mitchell Owen, Tim Ward, Nikhil Chaudhary, Ben McDermott, Macalister Wright, Matthew Wade (wicketkeeper), Rehan Ahmed, Chris Jordan, Nathan Ellis (captain), Rishad Hossain, Riley Meredith

THU vs HUR: Probable Best Performers Probable Best Batter: Nikhil Chaudhary

If it is one batter who has carried the Hobart Hurricanes' top-order this season, it has to be their No. 3 Nikhil Chaudhary. The right-handed batting all-rounder has played six innings in BBL 2025-26, and has already smashed 211 runs at a strike-rate of 155.14, which also includes one half-century. He is expected to score runs in the Saturday contest as well, which will help his side win their fifth match.

Probable Best Bowler: Daniel Sams

Daniel Sams looked in superb touch in the previous game, where the Thunder played the Perth-based side. Playing on a batting-friendly wicket, Sams bowled beautifully to pick up a four-wicket haul. Despite being a little expensive throughout the season thus far, the left-arm pacer has shown the ability to strike breakthroughs at crucial junctures by using his variations. This makes him a bowler to watch out for tonight.

Today Match Prediction: Team batting first to win the match