Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades will meet for the 42nd match of the Big Bash League on January 17 at Melbourne Cricket Ground. For, the Renegades facing the 4th placed Melbourne Stars after their 8th loss of the season, the match will be a tough one. The Stars, on the other hand, are a confident side coming off a huge win against Adelaide Strikers. This is expected to be a battle between the Stars spinner and the Renegades batters. This a spinner-friendly pitch and Renegades batsmen might have to struggle on this slow pitch against the spinners of Melbourne Stars.
Team news
Melbourne Stars can boast of a star-studded batting line up. Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, both are in great form. They have Andre Fletcher who scored 49-ball unbeaten 89 in the last match. Adam Zampa is leading the bowling department in the Stars. Zampa, spinner Zaheer Khan, and pacer Billy Stanlake make a very effective bowling unit for the Stars.
Shaun Marsh is the leading batsman with 247 runs and three fifty plus scores. Aaron Finch is currently batting as a middle-order bat and can be good on his day. Beau Webster showed some glimpse of his batting and will be expected to continue the same. Kane Richardson and Peter Hatzoglou with 13 and 12 wickets respectively are the bowlers for the Renegades.
Key players
Adam Zampa: Zampa with 17 wickets is the most dependable bowling option for Melbourne Stars. He took five wickets against the Strikers in the last match. He can change the tone of any game.
Kane Richardson: Richardson is picking up regular wickets for the Renegades. He is their key bowler with international experience. With already 13 wickets in tally, no wonder he will aim for more.
Predicted XIs
Melbourne Stars: Marcus Stoinis, Andre Fletcher, Nick Larkin, Glenn Maxwell (c), Nic Maddinson, Hilton Cartwright, Seb Gotch (wk), Adam Zampa, Billy Stanlake, Liam Hatcher, Zahir Khan
Melbourne renegades: Mackenzie Harvey, Shaun Marsh, Aaron Finch (c), Sam Harper (wk), Jack Prestwidge, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Beau Webster, Imad Wasim, Kane Richardson, Peter Hatzoglou, Noor Ahmad