Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Renegades, Big Bash League 2020-21, Today Match Prediction 19 Dec 2020

hbh vs mlr Match Prediction & Analysis

Hobart Hurricanes have started the new season of the Big Bash League on a strong foot and are currently 2nd on the points table with 2 wins and 1 loss. They will now be hoping to go to the top of the table and a win against Melbourne Renegades in their next match could help them achieve that. The Renegades haven’t had the best of starts to the season and are 5th on the table currently with 1 win and 1 loss. To get some momentum into their campaign, a win against the Hurricanes would really helpful.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Hobart Hurricanes Preview

After starting the season with two impressive back-to-back wins, Hobart Hurricanes suffered a loss against Adelaide Strikers in their last game. After batting first, they could only manage 146 runs on the board and lost the match by 5 wickets. This should be a small blip and given the team they have, the Hurricanes should get back on track soon enough.

The onus will be on opener D Arcy Short to deliver again as he did with a sublime 72 against Adelaide Strikers a couple of matches ago. Captain Peter Handscomb hasn’t been in the best of touch of late and he will have to find his form soon. Colin Ingram, Ben McDermott, and Tim David are the other batters who could make an impact in the match as they have looked good so far.

On the bowling side, the Hurricanes would have to rely on James Faulkner and Scott Boland to do a good job right upfront. Faulkner has been in excellent rhythm, and Boland is coming off a terrific spell of 1-15 in the last game. Nathan Ellis was among the wickets too but would need good support from Riley Meredith.
 

Hobart Hurricanes Predicted Playing XI:

D Arcy Short, Will Jacks, Colin Ingram, Ben McDermott (wk), Peter Handscomb (c), Macalister Wright, Tim David, James Faulkner, Nathan Ellis, Scott Boland, Riley Meredith, Johan Botha

Hobart Hurricanes Actual Playing XI:

Riley Meredith, Colin Ingram, Scott Boland, Nathan Ellis, Tim David, Will Jacks, D'Arcy Short, Keemo Paul, James Faulkner, Peter Handscomb, Ben McDermott

Melbourne Renegades Preview

The Melbourne Renegades started their season with a solid 7-wicket win against Perth Scorchers. However, they suffered a demoralizing 145-run defeat against Sydney Sixers in their last match that has put their net run rate in a complete mess. After letting the opposition set a mammoth 206-run target, the Renegades were bundled out for just 60. It was a shambolic performance and the team would need to shed off that defeat quickly to get back on track.

They have a solid batting unit with the likes of Shaun Marsh, skipper Aaron Finch, and Rilee Rossouw at the top while Beau Webster and Jake Fraser-McGurk can take care of the middle and lower order. However, they are indeed top-heavy and would need one of their top batsmen to play the long innings to ensure they don’t destabilize again.

The Renegades were poor with the ball in the last match and that is where they lost the game. Kane Richardson, who started the season with an excellent 3-22 against Perth, needs to fire again. However, the likes of Josh Lalor, Peter Hatzoglou, and off-spinner Beau Webster would need to put up a much better performance if the team hopes to stop the Hurricanes.

Melbourne Renegades Predicted Playing XI:

Aaron Finch (c), Shaun Marsh, Sam Harper (wk), Rilee Rossouw, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Beau Webster, Benny Howell, Kane Richardson, Josh Lalor, Peter Hatzoglou, Jon Holland

Melbourne Renegades Actual Playing XI:

RR Rossouw, Sam Harper, Noor Ahmad, Shaun Marsh, KW Richardson, Mohammad Nabi, Jake Fraser McGurk, Josh Lalor, Peter hatzoglou, BJ Webster, Will Sutherland

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart is a very good one for batting. As we have seen in the matches so far here, the pitch is hard and bouncy early on and the ball comes on nicely to the bat. Batters can even hit through the line early on. It might slow down a bit towards the second half and that’s where the spinners and slower bowlers might prove to be effective.

The weather forecast for the day of the game at Hobart is pretty good. There are chances of a light shower in the morning, but the weather should remain clear for the match. A few overhead clouds would certainly help the seamers more.
 

Venue Details

Barring one game this season, the teams batting first at the Bellerive Oval have managed to put up solid totals on the board. In the last game, we saw the Sydney Sixers amass 205-4 in their 20 overs, and in the match before that, the Adelaide Strikers had put on 174-5 on batting first. We should expect another high-scoring game and the team batting first could score around 180-odd runs. 

Toss: To Bat

The team winning the toss is likely to bat first as setting a target has produced better results at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart this season. Out of the 4 games played on the venue this season, the team batting first has won three times.