The Melbourne Renegades will be looking to make it two wins from two games in BBL15 when they host the Hobart Hurricanes on Sunday night at GMHBA Stadium. Can the defending champions bounce back from their first loss of the season? We bring you our full preview and betting tips below!
BBL15 Renegades vs Hurricanes Betting Tips
GMHBA Stadium, Sunday 21st December, 7:15pm AEDT
Melbourne Renegades
Predicted XI: Josh Brown, Tim Seifert, Muhammad Rizwan, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Oliver Peake, Hassan Khan, Will Sutherland, Fergus O’Neill, Adam Zampa, AJ Tye, Jason Behrendorff
Adam Zampa is expected to return to the Renegades side after missing Sunday’s game due to personal reasons, while new signing AJ Tye will be in the frame to make his debut for the Renegades. The acquisition of Muhammad Rizwan has added some desperately needed quality to the Renegades batting unit, and if they continue to get contributions from their youngsters, the Renegades will be a tough side to beat in BBL15.
The Renegades got off to a winning start in their season opener, defeating the Heat by 14 runs in a high scoring affair in Geelong. After struggling to produce scores last season, the Renegades posted 5/212 led by Tim Seifert’s 102 off 56 deliveries. Young gun Oli Peake made his first BBL half century, plundering 59 off 29 balls at a strike rate of 203.45.
With the ball, new recruit Jason Behrendorff made an immediate impact taking a wicket in the first over, en route to figures of 2/34. Will Sutherland (3/33) and Gurinder Sandhu (2/35) were also amongst the wickets, and their attack will be strengthened with Adam Zampa’s presence on Sunday.
Hobart Hurricanes
Predicted XI: Mitchell Owen, Nikhil Chaudhary, Rehan Ahmed, Ben McDermott, Tim David, Matthew Wade, Chris Jordan, Nathan Ellis, Rishad Hossain, Riley Meredith, Billy Stanlake
After winning their first game of the season, the Hurricanes followed up with a lacklustre performance in an eight wicket loss to the Stars on Thursday. The Canes were ordinary with the bat, being restricted to 9/158 on a good batting surface at the MCG. Only Ben McDermott (69), Tim David (33) and Matthew Wade (11) reached double figures.
The experiment to move Rehan Ahmed to number three didn’t work, with the Englishman dismissed for 1, leaving the Hurricanes 2/10 after just seven deliveries. The top three for the Hurricanes if they continue in this method is quite inexperience, which does put a lot of reliance on Mitch Owen to get the Canes off to a flyer.
With the ball, the Hurricanes couldn’t make any meaningful inroads as the Stars chased down the target of 159 in 16 overs, going at nearly 10 runs an over. Imports Chris Jordan (0/41 off 3) and Rishad Hossain (2/33 off 3) both went at over 11 runs an over, while Nathan Ellis (0/28 off 3) and Riley Meredith (0/18 off 2) went at 9 an over.
Match Prediction
Thursday’s performance looks like an outlier given how good the Hurricanes have been since the beginning of BBL14. They bounced back from a horrific loss in their first game last season, so there shouldn’t be any concerns around their ability to respond. Although the Renegades were brilliant with the bat in their first game, they have been an inconsistent batting unit in the past, so they’re going to have to string multiple performances together before they can be trusted. Expect a response from the defending champions to get back on the winners list.
Hobart Hurricanes to Win
$1.70 (1.5 Units)
BBL Renegades vs Hurricanes Prop Bet
Jason Behrendorff was excellent in his Renegades debut, taking 2/34. Behrendorff has loved playing against the Hurricanes, with figures of 2/21, 4/25 and 1/27 in his last three games against Hobart. After starting strongly with the new ball in game one, coming up against a top order that failed in their last start, Behrendorff will give the Hurricanes plenty of issues.
Jason Behrendorff: Renegades Top Bowler
$4.50
