Somehow I managed to correctly pick the winner of 23 out of 32 matches last season, which I was pretty pleased with. Have my doubts that I can repeat that this year, but here goes anyway.

• Strikers v Stars (Adelaide Oval) – Brad Hodge will be facing off against his old team, Kieron Pollard will be back in the Strikers lineup, and the other KP will be making his BBL debut. Pollard’s return will help the Strikers, but still think the Stars should be too strong in the season opener.
• Sixers v Renegades (SCG) – Last year’s meeting went down to the last over, with the Sixers holding on at Etihad Stadium. I think it will be close again this year, but I’m picking Aaron Finch and the Renegades to emerge victorious.
• Stars v Hurricanes (MCG) – In their second game of the round, the Stars will want revenge for their loss to the Hurricanes in last year’s semi-final. It will also be KP’s first outing at the MCG since the Ashes. Stars for the win.
• Thunder v Heat (Stadium Australia) – I tipped the Thunder to win their first game last year, and I was wrong… so, I’m doing it again. The Thunder have never beaten the Heat, but they have a new look squad with much stronger batting, it’s also the third consecutive time they’ve played at Stadium Australia, so it should be time for the home team to get up. I was going to change my tip after the news of Usman Khawaja’s injury broke, but decided against it … I’ll probably regret that.