Bottom of the table, two losses in a row, lack of runs by the openers and bowlers (except Sandeep) not performing up to the par so far in the tournament. This is the Stars’ story going into the third game of BBL.

Glenn Maxwell batted well in the second game but the total score was average on 151. Bravo could not accelerate at the right time to give them those extra 10-15 runs which would have been crucial.

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Jofra Archer and D’Arcy Short bowled really well to share all five wickets. They bowled particularly well to the Stars’ openers and checked the flow of runs early on.

Hobart Hurricanes came to bat and they hammered runs to ease the run-chase of an average score of 155. Both Hurricane openers scored runs at almost the strike rate of 150. The game was already won in the power-play as Stars were unable to take wickets until Scott Bolan removed Short.

Sandeep bowled with confidence and bamboozled Doolan with his googly in his first over and took wickets of Wade and McDermott in his third and fourth over. Lack of wickets from other bowlers and the late flurry of runs George Bailey scored sealed the game for Hurricanes.

What’s happening?

Dwayne Bravo has not performed as expected. His batting is sub-par and he is not taking wickets. He was supposed to be the match winner for Stars and lack of contribution from him with both bat and ball seriously is hampering the team so far.

Maxwell batted well in the second game and needs to be consistent with his performance going forward.

The Stars openers are not gathering runs in the power-play. Their fast bowlers are also not getting wickets early on shifting the pressure to spinners and part-time bowlers. Spinners can only do so much. Zampa took two wickets in the first game but went wicket-less in the second.

Amidst all this, Sandeep has been prolific so far but is ending up on the losing side. Individually, his performance is good. His economy rate also improved in the second game (ER-6) compared to the first. Most importantly, he is picking up wickets at regular intervals and adjusting to the condition as needed.

Every game he is playing now against the quality teams, he will learn. It is not wrong to say that he is growing in confidence and stature every time he is galloping with praised scalps of world-class batsman. Looking forward to see more of his leg-breaks and googlies.