Josh Philippe 99* trumps Glenn Maxwell 103 as Sydney Sixers hunt down 178

A composed Josh Philippe matched Glenn Maxwell's earlier heroics to lead two-time defending BBL champions Sydney Sixers to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Melbourne Stars at the MCG.

Stars had the momentum after being sent in as Maxwell smashed his maiden BBL century - 103 off 57 balls - to rescue his team out of early trouble.

But the in-form Philippe played an equally good innings with 99 not out as the Sixers confirmed their credentials as the BBL's barometer.

Philippe leads chase
After Maxwell's whirlwind knock, Sixers faced a daunting chase and the prospect of dropping their second straight match.

But Philippe was in total command and timed the chase to perfection. He was inventive marked by a knack of shuffling across the crease and flicking on the leg side with ease. The run rate never got out of control with Philippe ensuring a consistent flow of boundaries.

He put the foot down with consecutive boundaries off Nathan Coulter-Nile in the 16th over and then snuffed out Adam Zampa in the next over to end Stars' realistic attempts of snatching victory. They held back the power surge until the 18th over making the final stages a fait accompli. The only interest was whether Philippe could register Sixers' first ton but he fell agonisingly short as he smoked a six off Qais Ahmad for the winning runs with two balls to spare.

With his third half-century from four matches, the 24-year-old has proven to be the most reliable batter in the BBL thus far.

Stars lack inspiration with ball
Stars struggled with the ball and looked rather lifeless at times. With talisman Zampa well negated by Philippe, Stars failed to create chances as Maxwell rang the bowling changes to no avail.

Ahmad had little impact as Stars lacked energy though credit should go to Sixers' experienced batters who never looked ruffled.

One shining light for Stars was the performance of young quick Brody Couch, who made things happen through pace and bounce. The 22-year-old deservedly claimed the wicket of Daniel Hughes and could rise in prominence as the season goes on.

Maxwell puts on a big show
With Stars in an early hole at 2 for 6, this was Maxwell's golden opportunity after a slow start to the season. There would be little consolidating with Maxwell and Nick Larkin counterattacking to blast Stars out of trouble.

He smashed his 100th six of his BBL career with a superb flick in the fifth over before being reprieved on 15 when Lloyd Pope dropped a simple chance.

He took the power surge in the 13th over and was engaged in an intriguing cat-and-mouse game with experienced quick Chris Jordan, who bowled accurate wide yorkers.

It did the trick until Maxwell changed gears next over against Ben Dwarshuis to reach his half-century off 35 balls - his 12th BBL fifty at his beloved MCG but second slowest.

Then the Stars captain upped the ante with a trademark pyrotechnics show, where he whacked 20 runs in an over against a hapless Dwarshuis marked by beautiful use of his wrists. Maxwell tapped into his bag of tricks highlighted by an outrageous reverse shot for four off Hayden Kerr in the 18th over.

Moments later, Maxwell brought up his first BBL ton and then raised his helmet in a passionate celebration to become the fourth centurion for Stars. He fell in the penultimate over and left the field to a deserved standing ovation in front of his adoring fans.

Sixers leak runs, O'Keefe injured
The reigning champions would be frustrated by leaking big scores against Hobart Hurricanes and Stars. But even the best-laid plans can be worthless when the ilk of Maxwell and Matthew Wade are feeling it.

They will, however, be sweating on the fitness of talisman Steve O'Keefe who injured his calf while in the outfield.

The 37-year-old has a history of calf troubles having played through an ailment during last season's playoffs.

But he looked in obvious discomfort after pulling up short in the outfield and faces a nervous wait.

O'Keefe had returned successfully to his preferred role of opening the bowling after Sixers erred in their defeat to Hurricanes by not utilising him until after the powerplay. Jordan, too, held firm amid the Maxwell onslaught but Dwarshuis and Kerr struggled as Sixers used eight bowlers. Ultimately, Sixers should be pleased to boost their record to 3-1 as they moved to the top with 11 points.