The second part of the double header in the Big Bash League on Saturday comes from Marvel Stadium where the second Melbourne derby of the season takes place as the Melbourne Renegades host the Melbourne Stars.
The Renegades won their first meeting at the Melbourne Cricket Ground earlier in the season and will be looking to complete the double. The Stars are drinking in the last chance saloon so need their revenge so this is nicely set up.
Melbourne Renegades
The Melbourne Renegades have gone from having the wooden spoon for the last three seasons to being contenders for the title this time around. They still have a bit of work to do before they can lay claims for winning the title but they are in the playoff picture and a couple of wins from their last four matches will have them competing in the bracket to attempt to win back the crown they won back in BBL08.
The Renegades are another team who when they are good they are tough to handle but when they are not on it they get turned over too easily for my liking. The positive for the Renegades is that they are starting to come good with the bat and there is still more to come from them too with one or two players still having more to give. Their bowling can be a little hit or miss but when it is on the Renegades are tough to beat.
Melbourne Stars
You kind of got the feeling that once Glenn Maxwell was ruled out of the competition this season that the Melbourne Stars was going to flatter to deceive once again. To be fair to them they have tried hard but there just isn’t the quality in the camp that there was in the early days of this tournament and they couldn’t win the title then so there is no real justification for expecting them to do it now. They certainly won’t be winning it if they lose one more match this term.
The Stars do at least come into this match off the back of a win. That came last time out against the Adelaide Strikers in what was as emphatic a victory as you are likely to see. They bowled fantastically well and then made short work of a very comfortable run chase and if they can perform like that again here then they might keep the Renegades honest. They have to deliver with the ball though because the men in red could get away otherwise.
Special Offer
Sign up for a Boylesports account and bet £10 to get up to £20 in free bets! Perfect offer for this competition! Click the image below for this great offer! New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
Key Players
One of the men who are coming into form with the bat for the Melbourne Renegades is Sam Harper. He has made 89 and 63 in his last two outings and if he fires here it will put the home side into a good position to win the game.
Nathan Coulter-Nile bowled superbly in the previous game against the Adelaide Strikers and if he can get stuck into this Renegades middle order which is picking up some confidence it would help the Stars get their revenge.
Betting
There isn’t a huge amount that I like in this match because these are two inconsistent sides but one man who has come into a bit of form in recent times is Sam Harper. As I highlighted above he has plundered 89 and 63 in his last two knocks and should be capable of getting after this Melbourne Stars attack which is missing Trent Boult from the reverse meeting and while the likes of Liam Hatcher and Nathan Coulter-Nile are bowling well, they are nothing he hasn’t faced before.
Harper might well pick up some performance points from behind the stumps too. When these two met at the MCG he took four catches. That is extremely rare in a T20 match but even if he took one catch that would be 10 points which would be a third of the 30.5 performance line that he has for this match. The Renegades have brought two overseas spinners into the ranks in the last week and if either of those get the ball past the bat a stumping isn’t out of the question but with the form he’s in with the bat I like Harper to get the job done with or without keeping points.
Tips
Back S.Harper’s Performance – Over 30.5pts for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2023
