Melbourne Renegades vs Hobart Hurricanes, BBL T20 2021, Today Match Prediction 29 December 2021

mlr vs hbh Match Prediction & Analysis

The 26th game of the Big Bash League 2021-22 between the Melbourne Renegades and the Hobart Hurricanes would be an important one for the Renegades. They must win this game to get a move on. The side suffered a loss against the Perth Scorchers in the last game and is sitting at the bottom of the points table. The Hurricanes defeated the Adelaide Strikers in the last game. 

The Renegades would be feeling the heat after four consecutive losses. This would have surely hurt their confidence levels and the team would need to play spirited cricket from hereon to get going. Their record against Hobart Hurricanes hasn’t been great either. It remains to be seen if the side can make a quick turnaround in the tournament with a win in this game. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Melbourne Renegades Preview

It has been three losses in a row for the Renegades and Nic Maddinson’s side is following the same trajectory as the last two seasons where they finished at the bottom of the points table. The side went down against the Perth Scorchers by 8 wickets in their last game, another poor show from their bowlers. They would face a formidable opponent in Hurricanes and shall need to improve their game here.

The side would need a good start from Aaron Finch and Mackenzie Harvey as they have suffered due to poor starts in the tournament. In the middle order, the side would expect to see more consistency from Sam Harper and Maddinson and they would have to add runs along with Jake Fraser. Down the order, they have suffered batting collapses and they need Will Sutherland and Mohammad Nabi score runs in the game. 

Their bowling has been terrible so far in the tournament and the side would like to see early wickets from Reece Topley and James Pattinson in this game. Maddinson and Zahir Khan have been the most consistent bowlers and the side would expect a good show from them here. Nabi, Sutherland, and Kane Richardson will have a big responsibility on their shoulders to keep the Hurricanes under check. 

Melbourne Renegades Predicted Playing XI:

Nic Maddinson (c), Mackenzie Harvey, Aaron Finch, Sam Harper (wk), Jake Fraser, Mohammad Nabi, Will Sutherland, Kane Richardson, James Pattinson, Reece Topley, Zahir Khan

Melbourne Renegades Actual Playing XI:

Aaron Finch, James Pattinson, Jake Fraser McGurk, Mackenzie Harvey, Sam Harper, Nic Maddinson, Kane Richardson, Jack Prestwidge, Reece Topley, Mohammad Nabi, Zahir Khan

Hobart Hurricanes Preview

It has been two consecutive wins for Matthew Wade’s side, and they would feel confident going into this game. The side chased down a big total in the last game defeating the Adelaide Strikers by 7 wickets. They enjoyed an excellent record against the Melbourne Renegades in the past and the side would look to add to this with a win in this game. 

Ben McDermott hit a brilliant hundred in the last game and makes a strong opening pair with Matthew Wade. In D’Arcy Short they have one of the best players in this format. He would look to add runs in the middle order with Harry Brook and Tim David who haven’t scored runs. Peter Handscomb and Jordan Thompson are good hitters, and they must make the best use of their abilities in this game. 

Thomas Rogers and Riley Meredith have struggled with the new ball, and they would have to improve their lines in this game. In Nathan Ellis, the side has a bowler who can stop the flow of runs and he would aim at bowling tight spells along with Tim David. The side would be slightly worried about the form of Sandeep Lamichhane who hasn’t been at his best so far and needs to do well for the side to win.

Hobart Hurricanes Predicted Playing XI:

Matthew Wade (c & wk), Ben McDermott, D’Arcy Short, Peter Handscomb, Tim David, Harry Brook, Jordan Thompson, Nathan Ellis, Thomas Rogers, Riley Meredith, Sandeep Lamichhane

Hobart Hurricanes Actual Playing XI:

Timothy David, Riley Meredith, Nathan Ellis, Thomas Rogers, Peter Handscomb, Ben McDermott, Matthew Wade, Harry Brook, D'Arcy Short, Jordan Thompson, Sandeep Lamichhane

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

Weatherman predicts clear skies over Melbourne on December 29, and we would have a good game on our hands. The surface here is flat, and batsmen can score runs easily on this wicket.  There is little for the bowlers on this track and the side batting first would need 180 runs or more on this wicket.

Venue Details

Docklands Stadium, Melbourne has a flat surface and a fast outfield. The shorter boundaries have allowed batsmen to score lots of runs. The ball comes onto the bat nicely. The margin for error for the bowlers is small and while the fast bowlers do get assistance from the surface it is a difficult venue for the spinners.

Toss: To Bat

It is one of the best batting surfaces in Australia and we have seen teams put up high scores on the board. Teams have won more games here batting first. The side winning the toss in this game would look to take advantage of the surface by batting first and aiming at a high score in this game.