With both Melbourne teams humming in WBBL|11, Saturday's derby promises to be the biggest showdown between the Renegades and Stars in recent years
Stars, Renegades set for high-stakes Melbourne derby
The resurgent Melbourne Stars are out to end an unwanted streak against local rivals the Renegades in what is looming as the highest-stakes Melbourne Derby in years.
Leading into Saturday's showdown at the CitiPower Centre, both Victorian clubs are occupying spots inside the top three on the WBBL|11, with defending champions Melbourne Renegades sitting in third with a 4-3 record seven matches into the season.
The Stars meanwhile are enjoying a resurgence after languishing on the bottom of the table last season, sitting second with four wins, two losses and a washout.
All-too often, Melbourne derbies – while always fiercely contested games in isolation – have been played with one team thriving and the other just surviving, or in the case of their showdown at the MCG in 2023, with the clubs already locked into the bottom two positions on the table.
This time, both clubs are very much alive with one week remaining in the regular season, and Saturday's game could have huge ramifications for who makes the top four, and who finishes on top of the table and advances directly to the WBBL decider on December 13.
There's still plenty to play out, and top-four finishes are not yet guaranteed for either club, but both Melbourne clubs making the WBBL finals would be a dream scenario for Victorian cricket, given the sides' struggles throughout the last decade since the competition was launched.
The Renegades have made finals on four occasions, lifting the trophy once, while the Stars made a solitary finals appearance in WBBL|06 in 2020, going down to Sydney Thunder in the final.
The Gades won both all-Melbourne clashes last season on their way to lifting the trophy for the first time, and again came out on top in the first derby earlier this season, seeing off the Stars by four wickets.
Prior to that, the Stars enjoyed a four-game streak across the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Speaking to media after the Stars knocked off ladder leaders Hobart Hurricanes on Wednesday, Kim Garth couldn't help but grin when asked about the prospect of two very-much-alive Melbourne clubs doing battle.
"I think we're playing some really good cricket, as are the Renegades so I think it's going to be really good game, so I'm really excited," she said.
"I feel like we've got some good momentum in the competition now."
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Asked what had changed within the Stars camp this season to trigger their resurgence, Garth pointed to a greater sense of off-season connection forged by new coach Andy Christie and his players.
That, combined with more advanced planning, helped the club quickly click once Garth, captain Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, and Amy Jones all joined fresh off the ODI World Cup just days out from the start of the season.
"We did a lot of reflecting after the season and put in a lot of ground work in the off-season, to ensure that this year there's just a better feel and better vibe, and we're just more prepared for this year, which I think probably isn't something we've done in previous years," Garth said.
"We break off into state cricket, and people go away in the off-season.
"But we had a real focus to make sure that we still caught up as a Stars unit, which was really nice.
"The group's ticking along really well, we've put in some awesome performances and apart from that Sixers game, I'm not sure we've played a complete game yet, so I think this group has still got a lot to give, which is really exciting.
"Andy Christy has been awesome, and I think him and Clint McKay had a real focus to review (last season) and put it to bed and then move forward.
"It's difficult in franchise cricket, the nature of it – people came in off playing in a World Cup and it's usually a quick turnaround, so just have done that good chunk of work in the preseason, has really paid off."
The Renegades meanwhile need to brush off a disappointing display at home against Perth Scorchers on Thursday, which saw them go down by four wickets.
It cost the reigning champs an opportunity to put space between themselves and the chasing pack, but England import Alice Capsey backed the Renegades to respond.
"Every time we play against the Stars it's a real battle, and definitely one of my favourite derbies to be a part of throughout the year," Capsey said.
"We've got one up on them so far this tournament ... we'll be looking to bounce back pretty nicely, and I think we've done that really well this season.
"Whenever we've had a loss, we've regrouped and gone again really nicely.
"It's just one of those games you want to be a part of as a player."
Weber WBBL|11 Standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
HUR
|
10 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0.662 | 0 | 15 |
|
2
SIX
|
10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | -0.313 | 0 | 13 |
|
3
SCO
|
10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -0.132 | 0 | 12 |
|
4
STA
|
10 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.629 | 0 | 11 |
|
5
REN
|
10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.121 | 0 | 10 |
|
6
STR
|
10 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0.077 | 0 | 9 |
|
7
THU
|
10 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | -0.124 | 0 | 9 |
|
8
HEA
|
10 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | -0.869 | 0 | 1 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points