Perth Scorchers Vs Melbourne Stars Highlights, WBBL Knockout: PS-W Win By 28 Runs, Book Challenger Date With Sixers

Good Morning to all our readers. A very warm welcome to our live coverage of the WBBL's 1st play-off match between Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Stars. Stay tuned with us for the build-up, toss-playing XIs and more. Match starts from 2:15PM (IST) onwards.

Melbourne Stars Squad: Meg Lanning, Rhys McKenna, Annabel Sutherland (C), Danielle Gibson, Amy Jones (WK), Maia Bouchier, Kim Garth, Georgia Prestwidge, Sasha Moloney, Maisy Gibson, Sophie Day, Marizanne Kapp, Ella Hayward, Sophie Reid, Ines McKeon

Perth Scorchers Squad: Katie Mack, Beth Mooney (WK), Maddy Darke, Sophie Devine (C), Freya Kemp, Paige Scholfield, Alana King, Chloe Ainsworth, Lilly Mills, Ruby Strange, Amy Edgar, Chloe Piparo, Mikayla Hinkley, Ebony Hoskin, Shay Manolini

Table toppers Hobart Hurricanes, led by Ellyse Vilani, will take on Ashleigh Gardner's Sydney Sixers in the other knockout match.

The Perth Scorchers secured their play-off spot by finishing third on the WBBL ladder after the league stage. They achieved six wins and four losses from ten matches, which helped them attain 12 points.

The Melbourne Stars finished the regular WBBL season in 4th place on the ladder. They secured their play-off berth primarily through a strong middle phase of the tournament, winning five of their ten fixtures.

Despite losing their last three matches, Melbourne's consistency earlier in the season helped them edge out others and qualify for the knockout match.

Perth's Sophie Devine won the toss and chose to bat first.

Perth Scorchers Women: Beth Mooney (WK), Katie Mack, Maddy Darke, Sophie Devine (C), Freya Kemp, Paige Scholfield, Chloe Ainsworth, Alana King, Lilly Mills, Ruby Strange, Amy Edgar

Melbourne Stars Women: Meg Lanning, Rhys McKenna, Amy Jones (WK), Annabel Sutherland (C), Maia Bouchier, Danielle Gibson, Kim Garth, Sasha Moloney, Georgia Prestwidge, Maisy Gibson, Sophie Day

The 1st knockout match between Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Stars can be live streamed on Jio Hotstar app/website as well as the Star Sports network.

And we are underway for the first knockout match of the 11th WBBL season. Beth Mooney and Katie Mack have opened the innings for the Scorchers. Sasha Moloney, who bowled the first over, conceded 5 runs off the first over.

It has been a decent start for the Scorchers through Beth Mooney and Katie Mack, who have scored at a rate of 8.12 per over in the powerplay. The Stars have already introduced 5 bowlers into the attack, but are yet to take a wicket.

We are at the half-way mark of the 1st innings and the run-rate is ticking just below 8, but it has been a positive start for the Scorchers. Beth Mooney and Katie Mack are looking solid at the middle and they are not far away from their half-centuries too.

Katie Mack leaves the crease right after getting to a well-deserved half-century and with that the 100+ run partnership for the 1st wicket has been broken. But it was a great effort from Mack, who leaves after scoring 52 off 39 through a soft dismissal by McKenna.

The Melbourne Stars have pulled a bit of momentum to their side witch back-to-back wickets of Katie Mack and Beth Mooney. However,

This has been an amazing comeback from the Melbourne Stars, who are looking likely to restrict the Perth Scorchers to the 160-run mark. Following Mooney's departure for 45 off 38, skipper Sophie Devine and Paige Scholfield got out cheaply for a run each.

Alana King has walked out to bat along with Freya Kemp, who has smashed 31 off 13 already.

The final over of the match and the Perth Scorchers will hope for Alana King and Maddy Darke to finish off strongly and at least post 180 on the board. The Scorchers will be happy with the way they recovered after losing back-to-back wickets in the middle overs.

Top stuff from Alana King and Maddy Darke to help the Scorchers post a respectable total of 173 on the board. It is not going to be an easy chase for the Melbourne Stars, but they will be banking on their top-scorer Meg Lanning to lead from the front once again.

Chloe Ainsworth has the ball in hand for the Perth Scorchers, and she keeps Melbourne Stars openers Meg Lanning and Rhys McKenna in check with the first few deliveries, swinging the ball profusely. But McKenna manages to glance the last ball fine for a boundary to get going.

MS-W: 6/0 (1)

A terrible mix-up between Lanning and McKenna leads to the latter being run-out in the third over. A pity for the Stars, as McKenna was hitting the ball cleanly while Lanning continues to struggle with her timing in the middle. Amy Jones has come in at No. 3 and sped to a busy 13-ball 18, meanwhile as 39 runs come off the powerplay. The required run rate is closing in in 10 now.

Amy Edgar's first over offers the perfect release for Lanning and Jones, as 18 runs come off it. The Aussie stalwart gets a move on and that props up the run rate too. But Edgar comes back beautifully with a tight over, conceding just three. The game is nicely set for an interesting finish.

The game turns, and how! Alana King has Amy Jones stumped by the experienced Beth Mooney, and that leads to a middle-order collapse. Lilly Mills dismisses Annabel Sutherland and Maia Bouchier in the space of three balls in the 14th over, and a diving Danielle Gibson cannot make her ground to be run out in the 16th over. The Stars' hopes rest squarely on Lanning now.

The innings falls apart in the business end, with Meg Lanning's dismissal pretty much spelling the end of Stars' hopes. Perth Scorchers keep pegging away and eventually limit Melbourne to 145 for nine. The comprehensive victory takes the Scorchers to the Challenger, where they will face Sydney Sixers on Thursday (December 11). As for the Stars, that's the end of the road for this season.