HH vs PS

That will be all then from this game. Rather one-sided outings in both games of today's BBL double-header but there's another exciting game to look forward to tomorrow as the Brisbane Heat host the Melbourne Stars at The Gabba. Do join us for our coverage of that right here on Sportskeeda with the first ball to be bowled at 6:15 PM local time (1:45 PM IST). For the moment, this is the duo of Karthik Raj and Sooryanarayanan Sesha taking your leave. Thank you so much for tuning in as we wish you a Happy New Year once again. Take care and see you soon. Buh-bye for now!

Mitchell Marsh [Player of the Match]: Felt pretty good even though I wasn't amongst the runs. Just had to stick to my processes. Really important win for us, two on the bounce. Great night. Hopefully very dangerous, we have got a well-rounded team. Hopefully, we keep at it. Think Aaron Hardie is a bit stiff (not being awarded the POTM). He scored 90 odd and took a few wickets. (About Christmas/New Year) First one at home in a while, so that was good.

10:36 PM local time (5:06 PM IST): Perth Scorchers beat Hobart Hurricanes by 40 runs.

Mitchell Marsh 102 (58) | Ashton Agar 3/38 (4)
Nikhil Chaudhary 31 (15) | Nathan Ellis 2/44 (4)

A comprehensive win again for the Scorchers who begin 2026 in style. They now become just the third team in the competition to record three wins and having won two in two on the road, these are ominous signs for the rest of the teams. It was set up by a breathtaking onslaught led by Mitchell Marsh and Aaron Hardie with the bat, as the bowlers were given a massive 229-run score to play with.

Once Mitchell Owen perished early, it spelled doom for the Hurricanes, even as Tim Ward entertained with some outstanding shots. The wickets kept falling regularly though as the Scorchers kept the 'Canes in check, with the spin duo of Cooper Connolly and Ashton Agar doing a fine job, even as the latter did take some tap in his second over. A lot like the Scorchers though, the turnaround for the 'Canes followed in the Power Surge which was activated as soon as it was made available.

Matthew Wade and Nikhil Chaudhary looked in imperious touch, with the latter getting off the mark with a delightful on-drive before unleashing his full range of shots. Wade was in destructive touch too and while he Mahli Beardman cleaned him up, he overstepped by a massive margin to give the southpaw a lifeline. Thankfully for the visitors, they went bang bang soon after as Chaudhary and Wade perished, realistically shutting the door on any possible comeback for the 'Canes.

Thereafter, just the formalities remained as the Scorchers executed their plans pretty well. Brody Couch was impressive, varying his pace and going into the surface on a regular basis while Joel Paris continued his upturn in fortunes too. Connolly returned a very neat spell of bowling while Hardie too couldn't be kept away from the wickets on a dream day as the five-time champions kickstarted the new year with a mammoth win. A second defeat for the Hurricanes this season and the first at home - back to the drawing board as they look to undo what has been a forgettable outing for them across departments.

And that is that - a resounding win for the Perth Scorchers who have now won two on the bounce. And this is a massive win too which boosts their already solid net run-rate.

19.6 Ashton Agar to Riley Meredith, SCORCHERS WIN BY 40 RUNS! Short of a length with width, Meredith reaches out and cracks it to deep extra-cover for a brace. A comfortable win the end for the Scorchers as they beat Hurricanes in their home ground!

19.5 Ashton Agar to Nathan Ellis, STUMPING MISSED AGAIN! Tossed up full and wide of off, Ellis runs down the track and looks to slog but the ball turns past the outside-edge. Finn Allen doesn't manage to collect the ball as the batters take three runs. There was a feather edge involved as Ellis swung hard.

19.4 Ashton Agar to Nathan Ellis, length delivery sliding in, Ellis wants to slog it over mid-wicket but he only gets an inside-edge onto the leg.

19.3 Ashton Agar to Riley Meredith, length delivery sliding in, Meredith attempts to drive it through mid-off while he ends up with an inside-edge to square-leg. Single taken.

19.2 Ashton Agar to Rishad Hossain, IN THE AIR AND MITCH MARSH PLUCKS OUT A JAW-DROPPER! Full and wide of off, Rishad looks to go over extra-cover while he gets a thick outside-edge to fly over backward point. Marsh runs back and dives to complete a fantastic take.

Uh oh - Allen just clutched his left hamstring on that last ball. He's still comfortable enough to continue keeping wickets for the last over but you'd hope it's nothing major.

18.6 Mahli Beardman to Rishad Hossain, short of a length outside-off, Rishad walks across to his right and looks to help it over 45 but he misses it.