The second Melbourne Derby of the season takes place on Saturday night at Marvel Stadium, with both teams firmly in the hunt for a BBL 15 finals berth.
Head to Head
There’s no need to overthink this one.
Results for both sides have closely followed the bat flip. The Stars won the toss and chased in their first four matches of the season, winning all four. Since then, they’ve lost the toss and been forced to bat first in three straight games, losing each time.
A similar pattern has emerged for the Renegades, with five of their six matches also being won by the chasing team. The lone exception came in their opening match of the season against the Heat, where the team batting first prevailed.
That trend is amplified at Marvel Stadium, where the team batting second has won 10 of the last 11 Big Bash matches.
The Renegades receive a boost with Brendan Doggett returning from national duty, although they lose exciting youngster Ollie Peake to the Under-19 World Cup. The Stars regain Tom Curran, who returns from a hip injury.
With all indicators pointing in one direction, the strategy is simple: wait for the toss and back the chasing team.
Best Bet
It’s difficult to understand why the Stars are outsiders in this market. They’ve recorded the highest opening partnership in eight of their last nine matches. While Josh Brown has been in good form for the Renegades, Tim Seifert has struggled, failing to pass 11 in each of his last three innings, making the Stars strong value here.
Value Bet
Happy to stick with Josh Brown while he’s in this sort of touch. The opener has cleared 22 runs in four straight matches, including a 43 against the Sixers at Marvel and an 84 against the Stars just six days ago.
Same Game Multi
Chasing Team H2H / Brown 20+ Runs / Behrendorff & Rauf 1+ Wickets
