He had medical attention twice in middle and had his forearm taped, then was seen icing it in the dugout after his dismissal at the Gabba. Maxwell's absence will put more onus on Marcus Stoinis to lead the batting line-up while it also means Stars miss an important spin-bowling option.

Stars face Scorchers on Wednesday at the MCG then have a 10-day gap until their next outing, against Sydney Thunder in Albury on December 23, which the club will hope gives Maxwell time to recover and only miss the one game.

"Biggest forearms in the world and he's pulled a muscle," team-mate Hilton Cartwright joked after the game and before confirmation that Maxwell would be ruled out.

"He's had a nice break, came back super positive and he's still super positive [after the loss]. On a night like tonight you've got to keep reminding yourself you're not a bad team."

"Nathan Coulter-Nile will undergo scans this weekend to determine damage to a calf injury suffered whilst bowling against the Brisbane Heat," a club statement said.