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BBL Finals: How does it work?
The BBL Finals are almost upon us, so how will the revamped format work?
With only eight matches left for this BBL season, how does the Finals format work?
The revamped system will see a five-match Finals series, with the top five teams on the table qualifying.
How do the BBL finals work?
The Eliminator
The first match, ‘The Eliminator’ will see fourth v fifth, held at the home ground of the fourth-placed team on Thursday 30 January.
At present, this would mean a Scorchers home clash against Sydney Thunder, but the two sides still have two remaining matches each, including one against each other.
And, with Brisbane Heat in sixth sniffing down their necks, how the table will fall is still anyone’s guess.
The loser of the Eliminator will be knocked out from the Finals series.
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The Qualifier
Held on Friday 31 January, the Qualifier is the second match of the series, seeing the first-placed side host second.
The Stars are on top and can’t be caught, meaning they will host either the Adelaide Strikers or Sydney Sixers, barring a miracle run home from the Scorchers.
The winner of The Qualifier will head straight through to The Final.
The Knockout
The third clash will take place on Saturday 1 February, seeing third host the winner of the Eliminator.
This will likely fall to either the Sixers or Strikers to host, but the Scorchers aren’t without a chance here.
The loser of The Knockout’s campaign will come to an end.
The Challenger
Taking place on Thursday 6 February, The Challenger will see the loser of the Qualifier come up against the winner of the Knockout.
The winner will then meet the winner of The Qualifier in the Final.
The BBL Final
Hosted by the winner of The Qualifier, the Final will take place on Saturday 8 February.
The system is structured in such a way that the first and second-placed teams would only need to win two games, both at home, to take out the top gong. Each will also be afforded a second chance should they lose their first final.
If the fifth-placed side were to go all the way, they would need to take out four wins away from home in nine days. A tough ask and any team capable of doing so would surely deserve to be called Champions.
Tickets to the remaining clashes of the BBL season and Finals tickets as they are confirmed can be found at Ticketmaster.com.au.
