Molineux returns to lead Renegades' derby charge

Melbourne Renegades' Weber WBBL|11 campaign has received a timely reinforcement with captain Sophie Molinuex returning to the squad after overcoming a quad strain.

Molineux will lead the defending champions in her first game of the season in Sunday's Melbourne derby at the CitiPower Centre.

Melbourne Renegades squad v Stars: Sophie Molineux (c), Charis Bekker, Alice Capsey, Sarah Coyte, Emma de Broughe, Deandra Dottin, Nicole Faltum (wk), Tess Flintoff, Milly Illingworth, Davina Perrin, Naomi Stalenberg, Georgia Wareham, Courtney Webb

The Renegades had decided to take a cautious approach with Molineux's minor strain at the start of the season, given her workload during Australia's recent ODI World Cup campaign.

The spin-bowling allrounder, who has a long history of serious knee and foot injuries, missed the side's first three games as Australian teammate Georgia Wareham led the side in her absence.

Molineux returned to the Australian squad for the 50-over World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in October after being out of action since undergoing a knee surgery in January.

Her recovery from that operation had proved trickier than first hoped during the winter, and given the tight timeline for her return, her workload was carefully managed throughout the tournament.

She played just four of Australia's seven games but made an impact with her eight wickets.

The Renegades' title-defence campaign got off to a positive start with wins in the first two games, as they defeated Brisbane Heat in the rain-curtailed opener at the Allan Border Field then followed up with a win over Sydney Thunder at home.

Both those results came while chasing and Wareham played a starring role with both ball and bat.

But the side struggled when asked to set a total by the Adelaide Strikers at the Karen Rolton Oval on Friday night and were handed a seven-wicket defeat by the home side.

With no Hayley Matthews on their roster this year and their overseas names not firing so far, Molineux's will be a vital addition to the young Renegades outfit.

The 27-year-old was their leading wicket-taker last season with 16 scalps in seven games and made important contributions with the bat.

Molineux can provide the Renegades' batting line-up with the stability it has been missing – as indicated by the lack of partnerships across the first three games – while also bringing her experience with the ball.

The WBBL season moves rapidly and the Renegades will be hoping the return of their skipper can get their campaigning back on track quickly.

They will take some confidence from the fact that they defeated the Melbourne Stars on both occasions the sides clashed last season, overcoming a poor record against their cross-town rivals from the three preceding years.

But the Stars are coming into the game carrying momentum from their win over the Perth Scorchers, and are taking inspiration from the Renegades' championship run as they hope to turn their own fortunes around after a wooden spoon finish in WBBL|10.

Meg Lanning's red-hot form has helped their strong start, with the former Australian captain following her half-century in the washed-out opening game against the Strikers with an unbeaten 90 against the Scorchers.

The Stars have named an unchanged squad for the game, while the Renegades have left out young quick Sara Kennedy to make way for Molineux.

Melbourne Stars squad v Renegades: Annabel Sutherland (c), Sophie Day, Meg Lanning, Rhys McKenna, Georgia Prestwidge, Ella Hayward, Sophie Reid, Maisy Gibson, Dani Gibson, Kim Garth, Amy Jones, Marizanne Kapp, Sasha Moloney

Weber WBBL|11 Standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Total points PTS
1 Hobart Hurricanes Women HUR	9	7	2	0	0	0.662	0	14
2 Melbourne Stars Women STA	9	5	3	0	1	0.863	0	11
3 Sydney Sixers Women SIX	9	5	3	0	1	-0.365	0	11
4 Melbourne Renegades Women REN	10	5	5	0	0	0.121	0	10
5 Perth Scorchers Women SCO	9	5	4	0	0	-0.189	0	10
6 Adelaide Strikers Women STR	8	3	3	0	2	0.097	0	8
7 Sydney Thunder Women THU	9	3	5	0	1	-0.296	0	7
8 Brisbane Heat Women HEA	9	0	8	0	1	-0.944	0	1

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

PTS: Total points