Game two of the BBL15 season takes place in Geelong as the Melbourne Renegades take on the Brisbane Heat. Both sides had disappointing campaigns in BBL14 missing the finals, so they will be desperate to kick off their campaign with a win! We bring you our full game preview, best bet, and best player prop below!
BBL15 Renegades vs Heat Betting Tips
GMHBA Stadium, Monday 15th December, 7:15pm AEDT
Melbourne Renegades
Squad: Jason Behrendorff, Josh Brown, Harry Dixon, Brendan Doggett, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Caleb Jewell, Hassan Khan, Nathan Lyon, Fergus O'Neill, Ollie Peake, Muhammad Rizwan, Tom Rogers, Gurinder Sandhu, Tim Seifert, Callum Stow, Will Sutherland, Adam Zampa
The Renegades had a productive off season landing Jason Behrendorff, who was the leading wicket taker in BBL14. The Renegades also signed Brendan Doggett however he looks likely to miss the majority of the season on international duties given Josh Hazlewood’s injury. Caleb Jewell joins from the championship winning Hurricanes which will add some much needed depth to the batting unit. The biggest acquisition the Renegades made was drafting Muhammad Rizwan, which will give the Renegades some genuine star power.
The Gades will be looking for their young core of Jake Fraser-McGurk, Harry Dixon and Ollie Peake to go to the next level in BBL15. They are some of the brightest talents in the country, however the Renegades will need genuine performances from them if they are to improve on their sixth placed finish in BBL14. The Renegades only scored above 173 once last season, and they will need a big lift from their batting unit this season.
The Renegades bowling attack is packed full of talent, which will be the biggest strength for them this season. Jason Behrendorff and Tom Rogers were the top two wicket takers in BBL14, Fergus O’Neill has been arguably the best bowler in domestic cricket over the last two years and Adam Zampa is Australia’s greatest white ball spinner. Add WIll Sutherland into that mix and the Renegades have a seriously potent bowling attack. GHMBA Stadium and Marvel Stadium have been tough surfaces to bat on, and the Renegades bowling attack should be able to exploit that.
Brisbane Heat
Squad: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Tom Alsop, Xavier Bartlett, Max Bryant, Lachlan Hearne, Spencer Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan McSweeney, Colin Munro, Michael Neser, Oli Patterson, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Callum Vidler, Hugh Weibgen, Jack Wildermuth
The Heat couldn’t back up their title heroics from BBL13, finishing seventh in BBL14 with a 3-6-1 record. Brisbane made a massive splash in the draft, taking Pakistani quick Shaheen Shah Afridi with the number one pick. Afridi is a massive acquisition for the Heat, especially considering Spencer Johnson is missing the entire season with a back injury. The Heat will possess one of the best attacks in the league with Xavier Bartlett, Callum Vidler, Matt Kuhnemann and potentially Michael Neser.
The Heat will need their bowling attack to be at its best if they are a chance to jump back into the finals. In their last three games of BBL14 they conceded 251, 207 and 199 runs. Given the lack of depth in their batting with Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne not available for the majority of the season, they will need their bowling unit to take some of the pressure off the batting.
Brisbane's top order looks impressive with Colin Munro, Matthew Renshaw and Nathan McSweeney. Renshaw was the 5th highest run scorer last season, Munro has been amongst the top run scorers in past BBL campaigns, while McSweeney is in hot form after scoring a double hundred for Australia A last week. The big question for Brisbane is their depth. Englishman Tom Alsop showed some glimpses last season but has yet to prove himself, so the Heat are going to need substantial contributions from young guns Hugh Weibgen and Lachie Hearne.
Match Prediction
An early season game in Geelong is likely to throw up a tough surface for batting, so the bowling attack that exploits the conditions the best, will go a long way to winning. Last season the Renegades bowled out the eventual champions Hobart for just 74 at the venue, while the match in BBL13 at Geelong was abandoned due to a dangerous pitch. 139. Since BBL11, only one team has scored above 151 (Scorchers against Stars in BBL11).
The depth of the Renegades with bat and ball will ultimately be the difference in this clash. The Renegades have won four of their last six games against Brisbane and are 2-0 at GMHBA Stadium against the Heat. The Renegades have won three out their last four completed games at Geelong, and their experience at the venue will be crucial in this clash.
Melbourne Renegades to Win
$1.85 (1 Unit)
Renegades vs Heat Player Prop Bet
Jason Behrendorff comes to the Renegades with a stack of experience, sitting fifth on the all time BBL wicket taking list with 140 wickets. Behrendorff is also in great form, having been the leading wicket taker last season with 17 wickets at an average of 17.41. In BBL13 he was ranked 5th with 16 wickets and in BBL12 he was also 5th on the wicket takers list with 21 wickets. Behrendorff has been a consistent performer for a long period of time and will start his Renegades career in fine fashion.
Jason Behrendorff - Renegades Top Bowler
$4.50
