The Thunder will face the Hurricanes in Hobart on Monday night, needing one more win to complete a stunning turnaround from wooden spooners to champions.
Their pursuit of 152 at the SCG on Friday night, completed with seven balls remaining, was a stop-start effort in which Sam Billings' experience proved decisive amid a series of momentum shifts.
Billings finished 42 not out, but the contest's major talking point came when the zing bails courted controversy in unique fashion in the ninth over of the chase.
Matthew Gilkes was run out on 26, having threatened to march his side to a relatively straightforward victory after being dropped on three.
Big call, that. — KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) Matthew Gilkes was given out by third umpire after this incident at the SCG. #BBL14 pic.twitter.com/YTb0886Wn9January 24, 2025
Third umpire Phillip Gillespie, unsure whether the ball or Sixers bowler Jack Edwards' hands dislodged the bails, agonised over every angle before giving Gilkes his marching orders.
Legend Ricky Ponting was among those to share Gillespie's view.
However, the reality is the verdict would almost certainly have been different if the innovative light-up Zing bails weren't being used.
Edwards looked far from celebratory after Hayden Kerr's return, but the Sixers' confidence grew in the huddle as they watched replays on the big screen.
Thunder captain David Warner made a beeline for the umpires during the drinks break, when the Thunder were 3-79 after 10 overs, for a short chat before returning to his team huddle.
Billings shepherded his side from 2-65 to victory, absorbing pressure as his partners threatened to relinquish the ascendancy.
A crisp six from the English T20 veteran, over the square-leg fence, reduced Thunder's equation to 12 runs from 12 balls.
Nathan McAndrew clubbed a six and two fours to help ice the game.
Warner's arrival as captain has been a godsend for the Thunder and Cricket Australia, bringing box-office appeal, a hard-nosed approach and a league-leading truckload of runs.
First wicket down!— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) David Warner takes a sharp catch and Jack Edwards falls early. #BBL14 pic.twitter.com/VMksn1S2lOJanuary 24, 2025
Warner won the toss and set the tone for his side, conjuring the night's first wicket from mid-off when he held a sharp catch to dismiss Edwards.
Jordan Silk's counter-punching knock of 43 not out lifted the Sixers from 5-76 to 7-151 but that wasn't enough in Sydney's first every BBL derby final.
These two sides' rivalry began 13 years ago, with Brett Lee and Mitchell Starc bowling in tandem to Chris Gayle at the home of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
The Sixers claimed victory and bragging rights on that occasion and, prior to Friday night, boasted a head-to-head record of 18-7 over the Thunder.
The rivalry has featured a helicopter landing on the SCG, when Warner made a dash from his brother's wedding in the Hunter Valley, and one super-over.
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