BBL 7, Match 6, Preview: Melbourne Renegades take on strong looking Brisbane Heat

Both Melbourne Renegades and Brisbane Heat have got off to a great start this season winning their opening games. They would be looking to make it 2 wins in a row as they take on each other at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. A win in this match can brighten the chances of qualification for either of these two, so the intensity on both sides would be high coming into the match.

The Renegades got off to the best possible start to the season as they won their opening match away against Hobart Hurricane. Heat to their advantage have one of the strongest batting line-ups in the tournament. Their line-up is intimidating for any bowling attack and put up a display of their strength when they posted a score of 206 in the first match vs Melbourne Stars. Heat look very strong but they do have weaknesses and Renegades would be aiming to exploit those.

BBL 7, Match 6 –  Toss: Melbourne Renegades won the toss and opted to field

Melbourne Renegades (Playing XI): Aaron Finch(c), Marcus Harris, Cameron White, Tom Cooper, Brad Hodge, Dwayne Bravo, Mohammad Nabi, Tim Ludeman(w), Kane Richardson, Brad Hogg, Jack Wildermuth

Brisbane Heat (Playing XI): Jimmy Peirson(w), Brendon McCullum(c), Sam Heazlett, Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Ross, Ben Cutting, Shadab Khan, Mark Steketee, Josh Lalor, Brendan Doggett, Mitchell Swepson

Playing Combinations

Melbourne Renegades

They have a well-balanced team with a lot of quality in all the departments. Finch is one of the most feared openers in the T20 format across the globe. Cameron White is a key player for them, and he looks in good form. In the first match, he scored 79 runs as Renegades chased down the Hurricanes’ total with ease.

Dwayne Bravo was the man of the match in the first game as he claimed a five-wicket haul which helped in keeping the score down. Kane Richardson is a good pace bowler capable of giving early breakthroughs to his team. The experience of Brad Hogg can prove to be a crucial factor in close matches.

Brisbane Heat

Brendon McCullum has retired from International cricket but he is still one of the most feared batsmen in this format. The former New Zealand captain scored 40 runs in just 22 balls vs Melbourne Stars. Joe Burns scored a half-century vs Stars but would be missing the match Vs Heat due to an injury.

Likes of Ross and Ben Cuttings seem to be in good form and stopping this batting line-up from posting a big total would be a tough job. They are not the perfect team as their bowling seems to be a work in progress. Apart from Swepson, no bowler was able to contain batsmen in the first match.

Focus will be on

Dwayne Bravo

Brisbane Heat batting line-up is very intimidating for any opposition. Bravo claimed a 5-wicket haul vs Hobart and would continue to be a key player for Renegades both with the bat as well as the ball. The all-rounder would need to be at top of his game if he wants to stop the star-studded Heat batting line-up. His overs will be crucial and might decide the result of the match. When it comes to batting DJB can smack em as big as anybody and he would love to use the long handle sooner in the tournament to set the tone.

Brendon McCullum

BMac has been playing leagues all over the world. The former Kiwi opener seems to have benefited from the experience as he looked in great form vs Stars. He is capable of hurting the opposition and knows how to make the full use of the powerplay overs. Getting his wicket early should be the priority for the Renegades otherwise he can take the match away from them in a matter of overs.