Hobart Hurricanes have won their last four completed matches in the Big Bash and they have the benefit of home advantage for Friday's fixture against Sydney Thunder.
Both teams have posted four victories this season although the Thunder have played one more game than the resurgent Hurricanes.
Hobart started their campaign with a crushing defeat to Melbourne Renegades in Geelong, where they were bowled out for a club-record low of 74.
They were due to play the Thunder in Sydney earlier this week but that match was abandoned due to rain without a ball being bowled.
After Wednesday's washout in Sydney, Hobart Hurricanes are 1.78 to defeat 2.05 shots Sydney Thunder at the Bellerive Oval.
The Hurricanes have beaten the Thunder in their last two meetings in Hobart, claiming a five-wicket victory in January 2023 and a seven-wicket success a year later.
Australia middle-order blaster Tim David was the architect of their 2023 win, smashing an unbeaten 76 from 41 balls after the Thunder had stumbled to 135 all out.
Both teams have to shuffle their pack for Friday's fixture as the Hurricanes have lost overseas players Shai Hope and Wasim Salamkheil while the Thunder are missing New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson and West Indies all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford.
Pakistan paceman Muhammad Hasnain and English all-rounder George Garton have arrived but Cameron Bancroft and Daniel Sams remain sidelined after their horrific on-pitch collision earlier this month.
Hobart's Australian core could hold the key to their success especially as the big-hitting David seems to have rediscovered his mojo.
He slammed 33 off 14 balls in a high-scoring away win over Adelaide Strikers before an unbeaten 62 from just 28 deliveries in the return fixture against the Strikers.
David struck six sixes in that innings and he is 6.00 to hit the most maximums in Friday's game. Hurricanes opener Mitchell Owen is another interesting runner in that heat, priced up at 8.00 after hitting 10 sixes in his first five innings of the season.
Sydney Thunder's injury problems meant that assistant coach Dan Christian was pressed into action for this week's clash with Brisbane Heat.
The 41-year-old rolled back the years, scoring a brisk unbeaten 23 and taking 1-25 in four overs during his side's five-wicket defeat.
Christian remains in the squad for the trip to Hobart, where Thunder skipper David Warner, another veteran, is aiming to extend his fine form with the bat.
After a slow start to his first full Big Bash campaign, Warner has scored 86 not out, 49 and 50 in his last three matches and he is 3.50 to score a fifty against the Hurricanes.
Hobart captain Nathan Ellis will be keen to boost his wicket tally, having picked up only two scalps in his last three games, and he is 2.20 to take two or more wickets on Friday.
Read more cricket previews on site
Hobart Hurricanes - 1.78
Sydney Thunder - 2.05
View the full market and more odds for Hobart Hurricanes v Sydney Thunder on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.