Despite being given the exclusive right, along with Sydney, to have two franchises representing the city, both the Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades have failed to live up to their potential thus far in the Big Bash League.
The much-fancied Melbourne Stars, with all their star players, have managed to get into the semis on all four occasions, yet making it to the finals has been a yard too far.
For a side, which had the likes of Shane Warne, Kevin Pietersen, Glenn Maxwell and David Hussey, who are all some of the world’s top T20 specialists, not winning the competition has been a huge disappointment.
The story has been much the same for the Melbourne Renegades, with only one semi-finals appearance in 2012-2013, when they finished top of the pile. However just like the Stars, despite boasting of the likes of Marlon Samuels, Aaron Finch, Matthew Wade and Muttiah Muralitharan, their record is unimaginably poor on the road.
This season thus far has seen both these franchises struggling at the bottom of the table. Though the Stars were rather unlucky to lose by 1 run to the Sydney Thunder, the Renegades capitulated and lost by ten wickets to the Scorchers, in spite of scoring 170 in the first innings.
The most obvious weakness in both these franchises, barring consistency in results, has been their bowling, which lacks genuine stars.
Both these franchises have been over-hyped ever since the inaugural Big Bash, with big spending sprees every season. But their squads are not balanced, meaning they fail to keep pace with strong teams like the Scorchers, who boast of a strong home contingent, who aptly suits their squad.
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.
Shaun Marsh has called time on his marathon 24-season professional cricket career, telling Melbourne Renegades teammates he will not play on next summer. Marsh…
Captain Glenn Maxwell has celebrated his 100th BBL game for the Stars with all-round excellence in their Melbourne derby win over the Renegades. Everything…
The Perth Scorchers have overcome a crazy batting collapse and a Shaun Marsh masterclass to post a 13-run BBL win over the Melbourne Renegades…
Matthew Wade has blasted 82 as the Hobart Hurricanes overcame the Melbourne Renegades and some fielding restriction drama to notch a breakthrough Big Bash…
The Melbourne Renegades' Big Bash League clash with the Perth Scorchers has been abandoned after fewer than seven overs because of safety concerns over…
Usman Khawaja will head to India full of confidence after helping Brisbane Heat past Melbourne Renegades by seven wickets in their BBL knockout final…
