At Junction Oval on November 6, Sydney Sixers defeated Melbourne Stars by just one run in a Women's Big Bash League thriller, finishing on 5-160 and then defending that total as Stars were restricted to 7-159.

Ellyse Perry, who had celebrated her 36th birthday three days earlier on November 3, was the architect of the Sixers' total. She struck 84 off 57 balls, anchoring the innings and giving her side a score that would ultimately prove just enough on a tense evening in Melbourne.

Sarah Coyte was the hero with the ball, finishing with figures of 1-27 off her 3 overs. Crucially, she conceded only 6 runs in the final over while taking 1 wicket, denying the Stars the runs they needed when the match was on the knife's edge.

How did the Stars fall short in the chase?

Melbourne Stars needed 11 runs from the final over with 4 wickets still in hand and 10 balls remaining at that stage of the chase, but Coyte kept them in check when it mattered most.

Dani Gibson gave the Stars genuine hope with a brisk 31 off 20 balls, and Georgia Prestwidge remained unbeaten on 21 off 13 balls at the close. Prestwidge could only manage 2 runs off the final delivery, leaving the Stars stranded on 7-159 and one run short of what would have been a memorable victory.

The Stars' defeat left them one win and three losses for the season, while the Sixers moved to an impressive 3-0 record, making them one of the early pace-setters in the WBBL 2026-27 standings.

Why is Sarah Coyte's role significant for the Sixers this season?

This was Coyte's second match-winning contribution in the closing stages of a game this season. A week before the Stars clash, she struck a boundary off the final ball to lift the Sixers to a four-wicket victory over Brisbane Heat in another final-ball finish.

Her ability to perform under pressure, both with bat and ball at the death, has made her a key figure in Sydney's unbeaten start to the campaign. The Sixers have now won three consecutive matches, with Coyte central to the decisive moments in at least two of them.

Perry's knock against the Stars also deserves recognition as one of the standout individual batting performances of the WBBL season so far, with her 84 off 57 balls providing the platform from which the Sixers built a total that proved just sufficient on the night.