Half centuries from Glenn Maxwell and Peter Handscomb have guided Melbourne Stars to a comfortable five-wicket BBL win over Sydney Sixers after the home side's innings was curtailed by a calf injury to captain Moises Henriques.
The Stars made light work of their target of 140 at the SCG on Sunday, reaching the total with eight balls to spare to record their first win of the season in their third game.
Handscomb hit 52 off 40 balls before he was dismissed with just four runs required, while Maxwell struck 50 off 36 balls in a typically eye-catching innings before a crowd of 29,104.
Captain David Hussey contributed 24 off 15 to get the visitors home.
Tom Triffitt clubbed the winning boundary through mid-wicket off Doug Bollinger to move the home side to 5-143 and hand the Sixers their second loss of the season from four games.
However the Sixers could have posted plenty more Henriques not gone down with a calf injury while batting.
Henriques (41 off 34 balls) and Maddinson (25 from 21 balls) rescued the home side from a slow start after the Sixers were 2-18 in the fourth over with both openers Brad Haddin and Michael Lumb back in the pavilion.
The pair moved the scored to 78 with some lusty hitting before Maddinson was bowled by Adam Zampa in the 11th over.
Injury then struck Henriques in the 13th over as he attempted to take off for a single and his leg gave way. He made his way back into the crease but was forced to retire hurt and left the SCG in a medicab.
It is the same calf that Henriques injured in the Sheffield Shield in November, which sidelined him for a month.
Some late hitting from Jordan Silk who struck 35 off 28 balls moved the Sixers to a competitive 6-139 off their allotted 20 overs.
Maxwell said the Stars were relieved to break through for their first win of the season, especially considering they were without Kevin Pietersen who has flown back to England for the birth of his second child.
"Without probably our best player in KP in this game somebody had to stand up and me and Peter filled that void," Maxwell said.
"I'm really, really happy we got it done as comfortably as we did in the end."
Maddinson stood in for Henriques as Sixers' skipper and said it was his side's below-par batting that cost them the game.
"For me to get out and then for Moises to do his calf let them back in the game I guess," he said.
"I thought we were probably 20 runs short and it was those few overs after my dismissal and after Moises that cost us the game.
"I'm not disappointed with how we bowled we were probably 20 runs short."
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