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The Melbourne Renegades begin their BBL campaign tonight, playing host to the reigning champions Sydney Thunder under the roof of Docklands Stadium. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7:40pm (AEDT).
Whilst cross-town rivals Melbourne Stars have developed the reputation for choking in finals year after year, the Renegades have developed their own unsavory tag as well.
Entering their sixth season of BBL, the ‘baby brother’ to the Stars have been the perennial bottom feeders of the league, finishing fifth or lower in four out of the five seasons.
However, the Renegades should be confident entering this season, boasting one of the strongest and most experienced lineups on paper.
Despite the omission of West Indian superstar Chris Gayle, the Renegades recruited well during the off season, signing former No.1 T20 bowler Sunil Narine as their second overseas player.
In addition to Narine, the ageless chinaman Brad Hogg and fellow former Perth Scorcher Marcus Harris have been added to the squad.
With oft-injured paceman James Pattinson already ruled out of tonight’s clash due to a mild hamstring strain, the Renegades could opt for a rare three-pronged spin attack of Xavier Doherty, Hogg and Narine.
The Renegades batting line up is also shaping to be formidable with a good mix of big hitters and anchor players.
Finch, White and Bravo provide plenty of firepower to the top order while the likes of Ferguson and Cooper can look to accumulate the runs at a gentler pace.
Meanwhile the Sydney Thunder began their title defence with an inauspicious start against the Sydney Sixers.
After a middle order batting collapse of 5 for 15 restricted the Thunder to a below par score and an equally lacklustre bowling performance followed it, the reigning champs will be grateful for the quick turnaround.
Despite the poor performances the Thunder are not likely to tinker with their line up drastically, as they continue to play without the services of marquee players Shane Watson and Usman Khawaja.
Also in an interesting side story, Andre Russell has had his flamboyant black bat banned by Cricket Australia after initially having it approved.
The board reversed its decision due to black marks being made on the ball, leaving us all to ponder as to what bat the big-hitting all-rounder will unveil on Thursday night.
Prediction
The Thunder boast a strong pace attack and a couple of big hitters in their current squad. But with retirements of Hussey and Kallis added to the unavailability of Watson and Khawaja, Sydney look like they are a few batsmen short on a pitch where scores of 170 are usually par.
On their home track a Renegades team with plenty of batting depth might hand the champs their second successive defeat.
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