Two BBL12 finals hopefuls, the Adelaide Strikers and Melbourne Renegades, will battle it out at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday night.
The Strikers are fresh off one of the best victories in BBL history, while the men in red are chasing a third victory in succession.
Josh Nevett provides his full match preview and cricket betting tips below.
BBL12 Strikers vs Renegades Preview & Betting Tips
Adelaide Oval, Tuesday 9th January, 7:40pm (AEDT)
Adelaide Strikers
Predicted XI: Matt Short, Henry Hunt, Chris Lynn, Adam Hose, Colin De Grandhomme, Thomas Kelly, Harry Nielsen, Henry Thornton, Cameron Boyce, Wes Agar, Harry Conway
The struggling Strikers resurrected their season with a record-shattering seven-wicket win over the Hurricanes last Thursday.
Set a mammoth target of 230 to win, skipper Matt Short stepped up to the plate and played the innings of his life, hitting 100* off 59 deliveries to guide his side home with three balls to spare.
Chris Lynn (64 off 29) and Adam Hose (38 off 22) were also instrumental to the chase, supporting Short on the way to victory.
If that wasn’t enough, Adelaide’s batting line-up is about to be bolstered by the return of test stars Travis Head and Alex Carey. Both batsmen will slot into the Strikers XI for the remainder of the season, however, they may not play on Tuesday due to the short turnaround from the Sydney test.
It’s not all good news – super spinner Rashid Khan has departed to begin his stint in the SA-20 competition.
Nevertheless, Adelaide will now be confident that they can mount a charge for a finals spot.
Melbourne Renegades
Predicted XI: Martin Guptill, Marcus Harris, Sam Harper, Aaron Finch, Jono Wells, Mackenzie Harvey, Will Sutherland, Tom Rogers, Corey Rocchiccioli, Kane Richardson, David Moody
The Renegades likewise inflicted misery on the Hurricanes in their last match, beating them by six matches at Marvel Stadium.
Kane Richardson (2-20) starred as the home side restricted a powerful Hobart batting to just 8-162, before Sam Harper was the unlikely hero with the bat, smashing 89 off 48 balls.
Martin Guptill also made his first score of the tournament, producing a quickfire 36 off 19 at the top.
As such, the Renegades are now two points clear inside the top five, and one win shy of the top-placed Sydney Sixers with a game in hand.
However, like most franchises, the Renegades have just lost some cattle to the overseas T20 leagues. Spinners Akeal Hosein and Mujeeb Ur Rahman have both played their last game in Australia, leaving big shoes to fill.
It will be interesting to see how the second-choice spinners fare in this one.
Match Prediction
Both these teams have been up and down throughout BBL12, often defying expectations for better or worse.
Therefore, I’ve chosen to focus on matchups and the venue for this encounter.
Adelaide love playing at home in front of their raucous local crowd, and skipper Matt Short’s record proves this point – the strong opener has top scores of 100*, 84 and 65 at home, compared to 38, 16 and 9 away.
Furthermore, the Strikers have solid replacement options for departed spinner Rashid Khan, while I think the Renegades will struggle to fill the gaps left by Hosein and Ur Rahman.
Finally, my prediction of an Adelaide victory doesn’t even account for the possible inclusions of Head and Carey, so it feels like a safe bet to back the hosts.
Adelaide Strikers
$1.73 (3 Units)
Same Game Multi
Adelaide should get the win here, and if so, their powerful batting group will lead from the front. Between Short, Lynn, Hose and De Grandhomme, the Strikers have enough hitters to clear the rope more often than the Renegades.
In each of the Renegades’ last 14 matches, the method of first dismissal has been caught. This bet has been a staple of our multis all season.
As previously mentioned, Short has dominated with the bat at home this season. Adelaide’s captain has topped 25 runs in three of the four matches played at Adelaide Oval this campaign, and all those scores have been 65 or above.
Most Sixes – Adelaide Strikers
Method of First Dismissal 1st Innings - Caught
Player to Score 25+ Runs – Matthew Short
