The first Melbourne Derby of BBL15 takes place on Sunday evening at the MCG as the red hot Stars take on the Struggling Renegades. Can the Renegades cause an upset to keep their season alive? Or will the Stars bounce back from their first loss of the season? Check out our thoughts and tips below!
Also, be sure to check out our list of best BBL betting sites for the current season to make sure you're getting the best odds!
Big Bash League (BBL15) Stars vs Renegades Betting Tips
MCG, Sunday 4th January, 6:05pm AEDT
Melbourne Stars
With the Stars defending 77 off 32 it looked certain the ladder leaders would move to 5-0 on the season, however a dramatic late collapse, the Stars lost their first game of the season. After being so good throughout the season, the Stars bowling attack fell apart late. Haris Rauf went for 29 across the 16th and 20th overs, Mitch Swepson conceded 16 runs off the 17th over, Peter Siddle went for 17 in the 18th over and Tom Curran was taken for 17 runs in the 19th over.
With the bat it was an up and down performance, but the Stars managed to find their way to 6/195. Sam Harper got the Stars off to a flyer, putting on 52 with Tom Rogers for the opening wicket in just 5.3 overs. Marcus Stoinis and Campbell Kellaway put on 53 for the third wicket when the Stars looked set to launch a massive score, but the Stars lost 4/28 and looked in real strife heading into the final four overs of the innings.
However debutant Blake Macdonald smashed 37* off 12 deliveries, and Hilton Cartright scored an unbeaten 26 as the Stars scored 58 off the final 22 balls of the innings to get to what should have been a winning score. The Stars did a lot right in this game, but unfortunately fell apart in the final five overs of their bowling innings, given what they’ve produced so far this season, it’s likely this is an outlier performance.
Melbourne Renegades
The Renegades batting unit failed to fire again as the Renegades lost their third straight game to fall to 1-3, and now face some must win games to stay in the hunt for a finals place. The Renegades were restricted to 9/164 against the Sixers, their third straight score under 165 after scoring 212 in their season opener.
Josh Brown got the Gades off to a good start with 43 off 19, while Hassan Khan (39 off 29) and Jake Fraser-McGurk (38 off 29) were the only other batsmen to score above 15. The Renegades inability to execute in the power surge cost them dearly, held to 1/12 in their two surge overs, with Hassan Khan facing four dot balls in the surge.
The Renegades conceded 28 runs with the ball in the power surge, with Andrew Tye going for 20 runs in his over during the surge. Tye has struggled in his two games this season, taking just one wicket at an average of 68 and conceding 9.66 runs per over. Tye went at an economy of 12.32 against the Sixers, while Jason Behrendorff went at 11.67 and Hassan Khan went at 10. The Renegades need a lot more out of their experienced players and overseas imports.
Match Prediction
These teams have experienced polar opposite seasons, the 4-1 Stars are getting all round contributions from their entire squad, are the best bowling side in the league and are getting great performances from their overseas players. The 1-3 Renegades on the other hand are getting nothing from their imports, their bowling attack hasn’t been able to defend strongly and their batting unit is struggling badly.
The Stars have certainly had the better of their crosstown rivals, winning 18 of the 28 Melbourne Derby’s, including winning three of the last four, and both matches last season. The Stars have three bowlers who are tied for the tournament’s leading wicket taker, and they also have three of the top 21 runscorers in BBL15. Their all round depth will be far too good for a struggling Renegades side, and they’ll get back on the winners list with a comprehensive win.
Melbourne Stars to Win
$1.68 (2 Units)
BBL Stars vs Renegades Prop Bet
Tom Curran is having a stellar season, sitting as the equal leading wicket taker in the competition with 10 wickets at an average of 15.50. Curran has taken multiple wickets in three of his five games this season, and has done a lot of damage with the new ball and coming up against a Renegades top order that has struggled this season, it looms as a perfect matchup for the Englishman.
Tom Curran, Stars Leading Wicket Taker
$4.50
