Jan 31: Knockout: Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Thunder, Canberra

Pro Tip: Ever since making his return from the national side, Marnus Labuschagne has been the standout player in the league and is therefore the best option for captaincy.

Our XI: Chris Lynn, Marnus Labuschagne, Jimmy Peirson, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, Alex Hales, Callum Ferguson, Sam Billings, Ben Cutting, Nathan McAndrew, Tanveer Sangha

Substitutes: Daniel Sams, Usman Khawaja, Joe Denly, Ben Laughlin

Player Availability: Daniel Sams has been passed fit to play for the Thunder. We might not always be able to tip you off about late injury (or other relevant) updates, so please finalise your team after the toss.

Captain: Marnus Labuschagne

The recent ICC Emerging Player of the Year, Labuschange, who has been setting the international circuit on fire in Tests and ODIs, has been replicating his form in T20s too. He was the highest points aggregator in each of his last three BBL games. He has scored 129 runs and picked up nine wickets in four games.

Vice-captain: Alex Hales

The leading scorer in the ongoing edition of the BBL with 535 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 163.60, Hales is a no-brainer for one of the captaincy options. Nobody has hit more sixes than Hales in a single edition of the BBL - 30 sixes in 14 games. He has been a revelation in the first six overs scoring 351 runs at an average of over 70.20.

Hot Picks

Chris Lynn: Even though he missed four games due to injury, Lynn is still the leading run scorer for his side by a mile with 426 runs at a stellar strike rate of 157.19. He has been a much improved player of spin in BBL10 scoring at an average of 33.60 and a strike rate of 138.84.

Mitchell Swepson: Swepson and Labuschagne have formed a bit of a spin duo, picking up 15 wickets in just four games after their return from the national side. The legspinner has picked up a couple of wickets in each of his last three games for Heat and is one of the key reasons for the team's resurgence in the final league games.

Callum Ferguson: Ferguson is enjoying one of his best seasons in BBL, with 380 runs in 14 games at an average of 31.66. Also, he loves playing at Manuka Oval, where he is the leading run scorer with 319 runs in 11 games at an average of 35.44.

Differential Picks

Ben Cutting: Cutting hasn't been as prolific as he would have wanted to be with the ball for his new side Thunder, but has shone with the bat by scoring 246 runs at an average of 35.14. He has been especially brilliant at the death overs scoring 156 runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 208.

Tanveer Sangha: The 19-year-old is enjoying a dream BBL debut season having picked up the most number of wickets in a debut season for an Australian - 21 wickets in 14 games. However, he has not been at his best recently, picking up only six wickets in the last six games. Against a side that has not played their best cricket against spin, expect him to pick up wickets.

Alternate Scenarios

Ben Laughlin and Mark Steketee can be switched.
If Daniel Sams is fit, he can replace Nathan McAndrew.
Joe Denly and Jimmy Peirson can be interchanged.
Mitchell Swepson and Chris Lynn are the other captaincy options for this game.