It's one of the biggest games on the KFC BBL calendar as the Stars host the Renegades in the Melbourne derby
All you need to know: Melbourne Stars v Melbourne Renegades
Match facts
Who: Melbourne Stars v Melbourne Renegades
What: Match 23, BBL|13
Where: MCG, Melbourne
When: Tuesday, January 2. Bat flip at 6.30pm AEDT, first ball at 7.15pm AEDT
How to watch: Channel Seven, Fox Cricket, Kayo Sports
Buy tickets: Tickets are on sale here
Live scores: Match Centre
Highlights, news and reactions after the match: cricket.com.au, the CA Live and Big Bash apps
Officials: Sam Nogajski (field), Mike Graham-Smith (field), Shawn Craig (third), Chris Grant (fourth), Bob Stratford (match referee)
Match squads
Stars: Glenn Maxwell (c), Hilton Cartwright, Brody Couch, Sam Harper, Nick Larkin, Dan Lawrence (England), Jono Merlo, Joel Paris, Corey Rocchiccioli, Tom Rogers, Mark Steketee, Marcus Stoinis, Imad Wasim (Pakistan), Beau Webster
Renegades: Nic Maddinson (c), Will Sutherland (vc), Jordan Cox, Quinton de Kock, Harry Dixon, Aaron Finch, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mackenzie Harvey, Ruwantha Kellapotha, Shaun Marsh, Fergus O'Neill, Kane Richardson, Tom Rogers, Peter Siddle, Jon Wells, Adam Zampa
Form guide
Stars: WWWLL (most recent first)
It's been a terrific turnaround for the Stars who have found their confidence after a slow start to the season. They've won their last three in a row after losing their first three matches of the season and are now three points clear of the Strikers in fourth after sensationally chasing down their 4-205 with an over to spare on New Year's Eve. The Stars are just a couple of wins away from returning to finals for the first time in four seasons.
Renegades: WLLLD
Dropped their captain Nic Maddinson for their last match and went on to register their first win of the campaign, chasing down the Strikers 6-177 with four wickets and eight balls to spare to lift themselves off the bottom of the BBL|13 standings. With just three points from six games, they desperately need to string a few more wins together to be any chance of featuring in the finals this season.
KFC BBL|13 standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
HEA
|
10 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.972 | 0 | 16 |
|
2
SIX
|
10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.339 | 0 | 14 |
|
3
SCO
|
10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0.725 | 0 | 13 |
|
4
STR
|
10 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.331 | 0 | 11 |
|
5
HUR
|
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -0.268 | 0 | 8 |
|
6
STA
|
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -1.051 | 0 | 8 |
|
7
REN
|
10 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | -0.288 | 0 | 6 |
|
8
THU
|
10 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | -0.652 | 0 | 4 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points
Players to watch
As it was during Australia's ODI World Cup triumph last year, Glenn Maxwell's bowling has been just as crucial to the Stars' fortunes in their three straight victories as his batting has. With five wickets at an economy rate of 7.14 in their past two matches, Maxwell is proving that he can be a frontline spinner in the Big Bash as well. The Stars' skipper plays his 100th match for the club against the Renegades, becoming the first to reach the milestone for the Stars.
After becoming the first man to hit a half-century and take four wickets in a BBL match before Christmas, Beau Webster was at it again with an unbeaten 66 to help sink the Strikers on New Year's Eve. With 164 runs at 54.66 and four wickets at 14.25, the 30-year-old allrounder holds the Stars best batting and bowling averages after their first six matches in BBL|13.
What a partnership it was in their last match between the old, experienced head of Shaun Marsh and the young flamboyant talent of Jake Fraser-McGurk who combined beautifully for a quick-fire stand of 75 to help the Renegades open their account in BBL|13. Marsh has made a sensational return from a calf injury in his final Big Bash season, registering back-to-back half-centuries (59 and 54) after coming into the team on Boxing Day.
"Back my instincts" is Fraser-McGurk's mantra in BBL|13, breaking his career-best T20 score from earlier in the season as he cleared the rope at Marvel Stadium four times in a scintillating 37-ball 70. It's finally clicked for the 21-year-old this BBL season following his move to South Australia for the state-based domestic competitions, and he's currently striking at a quicker rate (198.86) than any batter to face more than 10 balls in BBL|13.
In a huge blow for the Renegades, opener Joe Clarke (quad injury) and star Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman won't play in the Melbourne derby. The club said in a statement that changes to Mujeeb's No Objection Certificate due to a contract dispute with the Afghanistan Cricket Board have resulted in him being unavailable for the match. It's unclear at this stage what the impact it will have on his availability for the rest of BBL|13.
Meanwhile, Clarke is due to have scans on Tuesday to determine his availability for the rest of the season after injuring his quad running between the wickets against the Strikers. Captain Nic Maddinson is back in the mix after being dropped, as is top-order batter and English signing Jordan Cox. Kane Richardson, who was a late out with injury against the Strikers, trained fully with the squad on Monday and will be considered for selection.
Head-to-head
Overall: Stars (15 wins), Renegades (9 wins)
At the MCG: Stars (7 wins), Renegades (5 wins)
Most runs: Aaron Finch (622), Glenn Maxwell (547), Luke Wright (446), Cameron White (446), Marcus Stoinis (418)
Most wickets: Adam Zampa (18), Jackson Bird (16), Kane Richardson (14), John Hastings (12), Marcus Stoinis (11)
The venue
Rapid stats
- Melbourne Renegades have won their past two matches against the Stars. A third consecutive win in this match would be their longest winning streak over their crosstown rivals.
- Melbourne Stars have won their past three BBL matches – a fourth consecutive win in this match would be the most they've won in row since an eight-game winning streak from December 2019 to January 2020.
- Marcus Stoinis (97) is three away from becoming the sixth batter to register 100 BBL sixes.
- If selected in the final XI, Renegades seamer Peter Siddle (97) is three away from becoming the 10th bowler to take 100 BBL wickets.
- Jon Wells (2893) is 107 away from reaching 3000 BBL runs. He will be just the third batter to reach the milestone behind Chris Lynn (3611) and Aaron Finch (3311).
What's on the line?
A fourth straight victory for the Stars would entrench their position in the top four, widening the gap between the top and bottom four teams in BBL|13. The equation is simple to the Renegades – they need to win (which would bring them within one point of the Stars in fourth) otherwise they'll face a mountainous task in their final three games of the season to qualify for finals.
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