The Stars can watch on Friday night as the Melbourne Renegades play the Sydney Sixers in the second semi-final at Marvel Stadium for the right to host the Stars in Sunday’s final.

But the Hurricanes, who had been the clear standout side in the home-and-away season, merely joined the long list of minor premiers to fall at the semi-final hurdle.

Only twice in eight BBL summers has the top team at the end of the regular season advanced to the final.

The Stars have had an up and down summer, only qualifying for the semi-finals with a win over the  Sixers last weekend. However by just making it to the finals they vastly exceeded their two-win campaign of 2017-18.

Melbourne’s supposed glamour club made significant changes to their squad at the end of last season, in particular replacing both of their imports.

However it was a player that has been on their books for most of their time in the competition that wreaked havoc under the Blundstone Arena lights on Thursday night.

Despite being on the Stars’ list for six seasons, Daniel Worrall was playing just his 17th game for the club on Thursday night.

That was in part because there had been several pacemen ahead of him, and in part because his body had let him down.

Indeed Worrall didn’t appear until late in the season because of a lingering back issue picked up while playing for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield.

Given how little BBL cricket he has played, it is remarkable that Worrall has now played a leading role in both of the Stars’ winning semi-finals.

The only other previous time the Stars advanced to the final, three summers ago, Worrall took 3/25 against the Perth Scorchers.

This time he finished with 4/23, using an array of variations to trouble the much-vaunted Hurricanes batting line-up, who had been sent in by Stars captain Glenn Maxwell.

Worrall went around the wicket to remove domestic player of the year Matthew Wade caught behind for two before getting through Caleb Jewell’s defences later in the second over.

The ever-dangerous D’Arcy Short started blasting his side back towards the ascendancy, but was caught at mid-on off the bowling of Adam Zampa for 35 from 21 balls, leaving Hobart 3/42.

From there George Bailey (37 from 32) and Ben McDermott (53 from 42) went about steadying the ship, however, Worrall returned late to remove Bailey and Simon Milenko as the Hurricanes battled their way to 7/153.

While Ben Dunk fell for nine and Marcus Stoinis was removed by a brilliant Qais Ahmed leg-break for 18, the Stars were still on track for victory with Peter Handscomb and Nic Maddinson seemingly in control of the chase at 2/78 in the ninth over.

However Afghanistan international Qais, who joined Hobart only in the final week of the home and away season, struck twice in quick succession to shift the momentum of the game. First it was Maddinson, who holed out to fine leg for 18, before Handscomb (35) was trapped leg-before.

But Seb Gotch and Maxwell managed to see off Qais, who finished with 3/33 from his four overs.

Gotch and Maxwell kept things ticking along from there, with their measured partnership gradually whittling away at the Hurricanes’ hopes.

Hobart heads dropped further when George Bailey hurt his right shoulder while diving in the outfield in the 15th over, ending the veteran’s involvement in the game, and putting his involvement in the back end of the Sheffield Shield season in doubt.

Clive Rose applied pressure late but Gotch (33 not out from 22) and Maxwell (43 not out from 33) showed composure to steer their side to victory with seven balls to spare, Gotch sealing the six-wicket win with a six over deep extra cover.