Melbourne Stars vs Melbourne Renegades, Big Bash League 2018/19, Today Match Prediction 01 Jan 2019

mls vs mlr Match Prediction & Analysis

Hosts Melbourne Stars will looking to continue their good form when they face city rivals Melbourne Renegades in the 16th game of Big Bash League (BBL) in Melbourne on Tuesday.

Stars broke their winless streak in the competition by beating Sydney Sixers in their previous game played on Thursday. The home side would be looking to build on their first win of the competition and produce their best against Melbourne Renegades.

On the other hand, Melbourne Renegades have done exceedingly well in the competition and are lying second in the league table.  In their previous game, Renegades suffered a 33-run defeat against Sydney Sixers at Docklands Stadium.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Melbourne Stars Preview

Melbourne Stars notched up their first win of Big Bash League season courtesy of splendid performances from Peter Handscomb, Jackson Coleman and Sandeep Lamichhane. Skipper Glenn Maxwell will be relieved with the way his side performed against Sydney Sixers.

The return of Handscomb certainly bolstered the batting resources at the top of the innings. He replaced Ben Dunk and produced a splendid 70 off 35 balls with the help of nine fours and three sixes. 

In the batting department, the team will be relying on the likes of Peter Handscomb, Nick Larkin and Glenn Maxwell to do the bulk of the scoring. Larkin and Maxwell have been inconsistent so far in the competition. The duo will need to raise their game with the bat against Melbourne Renegades.

All-rounder Marcus Stoinis and Dwayne Bravo also have not done much with the bat. They will need to contribute with crucial scores for Stars in coming games of the competition.

Melbourne Stars produced a clinical bowling performance to setup a comfortable win against Sydney Sixers. In the bowling department, Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane has bamboozled everyone with his wide range of tricks. He is the leading wicket-taker for Stars at the moment with 7 wickets to his name.

The pace duo of Jackson Coleman, Scott Boland and Dwayne Bravo bowled well in the game played against Sydney Sixers.

Melbourne Renegades Preview

The side suffered their first defeat of the competition against Sydney Sixers at Docklands Stadium. Skipper Tom Cooper will be hoping that the side can make a strong comeback in this game.

Rookie opener Mackenzie Harvey played well against Sydney Sixers. He scored 30 off 25 balls with the help of four fours and a six. Harvey certainly showed promise and will be determined to do well in the next couple of games for his franchise.

Wicket-keeper batsman Tim Ludeman has failed to make an impact with the bat so far in this year’s competition. The biggest disappointment has been the form of Cameron White, who has only managed to score 35 runs in 3 matches at an average of 11.66.

All-rounders Dan Christian and Mohammad Nabi have chipped in with crucial performances for the side so far in the three games played. Captain Tom Cooper will need also to score after perishing for low scores in the first three games of the competition.

In the bowling department, the side will be relying heavily on the pace trio of Usman Shinwari, Jack Wildermuth and Kane Richardson to produce crucial breakthroughs with the new-ball. Cameron Boyce and Mohammad Nabi have been expensive so far in the competition.

Weather Conditions

The pitch prepared for the game will be well-suited for the T20 format. The previous game played was between Australia and India which turned out to be a placid surface. The weather forecast for Tuesday is expected to be dry and sunny.

Venue

The Melbourne Cricket Ground has always been a good wicket for batsmen. In recent times, the slowness of the wicket has provided assistance to the spinners. The quick bowlers will get bounce and carry from this wicket

Toss: To Bat

The side that wins the toss would ideally like to bat first given the slowness of the wicket. It might be difficult to tackle the spinners in the second half of the game.