Match Preview: What to Expect
Defending champions Sydney Sixers will meet Melbourne Renegades in match six of BBL 10 in Hobart on 13 December. Sixers will seek to put their loss to Hobart Hurricanes in the opening game behind them, while Renegades will try to recapture their winning form of BBL eight.
Sidney Sixers
Sixers will be looking to emulate Perth Scorchers — who won in seasons 4 and 5 – and achieve a back-to-back title win after beating MS in the last season’s final. Despite not playing the best cricket in the league stages, Sixers finished 2nd on the points table with nine wins. Barring Steve Smith and English seamer Tom Curran, most of the others from the title-winning squad will be at Sixers’ disposal in season 10. Josh Philippe, Ben Dwarshuis, Lloyd Pope and Jordan Silk who will be available for the whole season will give the team depth
Reliable Battingp>
Twenty-three-year-old wicket-keeper Josh Philippe had a
brilliant season with the bat, averaging 37. He had the
third-most runs behind only Alex Hales and Marcus Stoinis and was named the
Man of the Match in the Final. The batting will also gain
depth from the presence of
James Vince and Daniel Hughes.
Great Depth in Bowlingp>Sixers will benefit from the
all-round skills of WI all-rounders Carlos Brathwaite and Jason Holder. Dan
Christian will add value with
accurate bowling and power hitting. Despite the absence of Tom Curran, there is
great depth in bowling with the likes of
Dwarshuis, Carlos Brathwaite, Jason Holder and Dan Christian. Lloyd Pope and Steve O’Keefe add spin to the mix. If they make it to the playoffs, they will have the services of
Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc and Sean Abbott.
MMelbourne Renegades
R won the title in season eight but finished at the bottom of the league table in season nine, with just three wins in 14 games. They will be looking to resurrect themselves in season 10. While some of their batsmen impressed, their bowlers weren’t up to scratch. They have since lost Dan Christian to Sixers and Tom Cooper and Jack Wildermuth to Heat. But they have got some great imports in the form of Riley Rossouw (with a career batting average of almost 30 in 200 T20 games), Imran Tahir from South Africa and all-rounder Imad Wasim from Pakistan.
BBatting
strong>Finch and Shaun Marsh add firepower at the top of the order. Young wicket-keeper Sam Harpers has great batting potential as evident from his 73 against the Scorchers and 52 against the Thunder last season.
BBowling
strong>Pattinson has returned and will share the new ball with Kane Richardson. Cameron Boyce, who provides a leg-spin option, took 14 wickets in his 14 innings last season. Richardson took 10 wickets in eight innings and Pattinson snared nine in six innings. In Pattinson’s absence due to Australia’s upcoming Test series against India, Renegades could rely on Boyce to provide impact through his sheer consistency.
Head Head to head
s edge out Renegades 7-5 in the head-to-head comparison as shown in the following chart.
SummaSummary
ll, the Gades have lost more strength than gained in the form of transfers. So, their fortunes could rest with the performances of Richardson and Pattinson with the ball. They would be hoping for their imports to make an impact. The schedule is also a bit harsh for the Gades who will enjoy just 5 home games in Melbourne. Though they have begun their BBL 10 campaign with a loss to Hobart Hurricanes, we expect Sixers to bounce back in this game.
