Beau Webster catalyses Hobart Hurricanes win over Melbourne Stars in BBL knockout

Hobart Hurricanes knock Melbourne Stars out of BBL 2025-26 [Source: @BBL/x]

Hobart Hurricanes overcome Melbourne Stars in a tense rain-curtailed thriller to advance to the Challenger match of the BBL 2025-26 season. Beau Webster unleashed a cracking cameo for the Hurricanes before ace paceman Riley Meredith picked up two huge wickets with the ball. 

Here, we take a look at the entire highlights from the knockout match of the BBL 2025-26 season between Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Stars, as it panned out at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart on Wednesday, January 21.

Beau Webster bolts Hobart Hurricanes to 114

In a rain-revised 10-overs game, Hobart Hurricanes batted first and lost opening batter Mitchell Owen for just seven off four balls within the first over of the match. The attacking opener got out stumped by Melbourne Stars wicketkeeper Sam Harper off Glenn Maxwell (1-9), who got instantly taken off the attack despite his opening breakthrough.

Owen’s opening partner Tim Ward struggled to get his timing right as the cricketer was dismissed for a sluggish run-a-ball 10 by Haris Rauf in the fourth over of the innings. Hurricanes captain Ben McDermott muscled two boundaries in his seven-ball 12 before the right-hander got trapped plumb in front by his Melbourne Stars rival Marcus Stoinis (1-6).

Beau Webster at number three blasted three cracking boundaries and three huge sixes in his enterprising 26-ball 47 to top-score in the innings. Nikhil Chaudhary also launched three big sixes in the backend of the innings to club 24 from just 11 balls. However, both Webster and Chaudhary had their slog-overs charge curtailed by Tom Curran (1-36) and Haris Rauf respectively.

Wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade and star all-rounder Chris Jordan each scored a double off the lone deliveries they faced as Hobart Hurricanes blazed to 114-5 in 10 overs. For the Melbourne Stars, Haris Rauf unfurled the spell of the high-scoring innings with figures of 2-27.

Hobart Hurricanes overcome Stars in a tense last-over thriller

Another rain delay prompted Melbourne Stars to chase a revised target of 85 runs in seven overs. For Hobart Hurricanes, Nikhil Chaudhary started off with a tight five-run over. Riley Meredith proved too quick for Thomas Rogers, as the speedster knocked over the Stars opener off his first ball.

While Sam Harper got retired out at 10 off six balls, number three Joe Clarke kept the Stars alive with his quick 17-ball 31, an innings laced with four fours and a six. Captain Marcus Stoinis launched just one six in his five-ball knock of nine runs, until both he and Clarke were dismissed by Mitchell Owen (1-22) and Meredith (2-19) respectively.

Glenn Maxwell belted a six in his four-ball 9*, and Hilton Cartwright (15* off 4) struck some crucial blows in a topsy-turvy final over before Owen eventually kept the Melbourne Stars down to just 81-4 by the completion of their innings.

The Hobart Hurricanes ended up winning an absolute thriller by three runs (DLS method) to book a place for themselves in the Challenger. The Hurricanes will now face Sydney Sixers in a virtual semifinal match on Friday, January 23 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). The winner of the match will face Perth Scorchers in the final this coming Sunday.