Sydney Thunder's season of futility has been completed after the bottom-of-the-ladder side lost its 13th straight match by 13 runs against the Melbourne Stars at the MCG on Tuesday night.
The Stars, missing two big names in Shane Warne and Lasith Malinga, struggled to set a total before finishing on 8 for 145 off the full 20 overs.
But after star import Chris Gayle put his team in a brilliant position, the Thunder lost 9 for 70 to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory.
Paceman Dirk Nannes produced the ball of the night to dismiss dangerman Brad Hodge (39 off 26) with a ball that beat the batsman and crashed into middle stump.
The Thunder also removed David Hussey for 32 and then bowled well at the death - taking 4 for 16 in the final overs - to keep the Stars well below a par score.
Gayle - who has been under pressure to perform after a series of failures - took 2 for 5 and ran out Stars opener Luke Wright.
He then came out firing in the Thunder's innings, hoisting paceman Jackson Bird for a massive straight six over the sightscreen in the second over.
The real fireworks came two overs later, as Gayle crashed three boundaries and another big six off John Hastings to get the Thunder off to a flyer.
Gayle flayed the attack to all parts of the ground, bringing up his 50 off just 25 balls and the visitors were 1 for 59 after six overs and cruising to victory.
The Stars tightened the bowling and Bird gave his team a lift when he took a diving catch to dismiss Matt Prior for 7, leaving Sydney 2 for 62 in the eighth over.
Gayle finally went for 65 off 43 balls, holing out in the deep to Glenn Maxwell off Dimitri Mascarenhas (2 for 27).
Then Usman Khawaja fell for 23 off 18 balls, caught in the deep by Hodge off Bird (1 for 20), and the Thunder were 4 for 100 and struggling to reach the target.
The innings disintegrated from there with Sean Abbott (3), Ryan Carters (2), Mark Cosgrove (8) and Adam Zampa (8) and Luke Doran (4) as the visitors lost confidence at the end of a terrible season.
Gurinder Sandhu was last man out for 6 off James Faulkner (3 for 24) as Sydney were dismissed for 132 with two balls left.
The Thunder had been winless in seven games this Big Bash season, and the defeat now continues the franchise's 13-match streak dating back to last season.
The result means that the Stars (10 points) join the Melbourne Renegades (12) in the finals.
The remaining places will be filled by two of the Perth Scorchers, Adelaide Strikers and Hobart Hurricanes, who are separated only by net run rate going into the final round of matches.
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