January 22: Adelaide Strikers v Melbourne Stars in Adelaide

Our XI: Alex Carey, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Jonathan Wells, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Rashid Khan, Adam Zampa, Peter Siddle, Liam O'Connor

NOTE: Zampa and Handscomb return for the Stars and Carey for the Strikers after Australia's tour of India.

Captain: Travis Head

Head's 79 in his last game against the Hurricanes was a top knock, but since he has joined the Strikers' set-up he has been among the wickets as well, with three wickets so far while trying his hand at opening the bowling. Among the big-hitters on view in this game, Head is a risky as well as sensible choice for captain.

Vice-captain: Glenn Maxwell

The first time the two teams met this season, Maxwell hit most the of Strikers bowlers out of sight during a 25-ball 43. He's lost a bit of shine in the past few games, but being a good player against spin, he could be the man to counter the threat of the in-form Rashid Khan and Liam O'Connor.

Hot picks

Rashid Khan

With 16 wickets in the bag including a hat-trick in Adelaide this season, do you really need a reason to pick Khan?

Marcus Stoinis

BBL's leading run-scorer so far is another unmissable pick. He comes into the game on the back of a 37-ball 62 against the Sydney Sixers and, really, could be an option for captain for this game too.

Adam Zampa

The bowlers have ruled the roost in the past three games in Adelaide and in Zampa, the Stars have Australia's best bowler from the India ODI series. He could create a bit of havoc.

Value picks

Liam O'Connor: In the worst ten-wicket collapse in BBL history, when the Strikers shot the Brisbane Heat out, the chief wrecker was Liam O'Connor, who surprised the batsmen with his deceptive legbreaks. That game was at the same venue, so you simply can't ignore him.

Jake Weatherald: Without Haris Rauf in the side, the Stars bowlers look a bit out of shape and Weatherald, who has a strike rate of 142 in the season so far, will be eager to dominate. He's been the Strikers' second-highest run-getter behind Wells, and his explosive opening combination with Phil Salt could prove decisive.

Point to note

The last three BBL games in Adelaide have been low-scoring encounters, so take a punt on your bowlers and middle-order batsmen.