Big Bash League: Melbourne Stars vs Melbourne Renegades, Preview and prediction

The Stars and Renegades haven't had an ideal start to their BBL campaign this year. While the Melbourne Renegades are fifth in the points table with just three wins in seven matches, the Stars are having an even worse season. 

The Melbourne Stars (STA) are in second-to-last place with just two wins in six games this season.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Comment 💚 or ❤️ with who you think wins the Melbourne Derby tonight... <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BBL12?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BBL12</a> <a href="https://t.co/D4YRsw1kCj">pic.twitter.com/D4YRsw1kCj</a></p>&mdash; KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/BBL/status/1610108825285132292?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Stars breathed a sigh of relief when they broke their three-game losing streak by defeating the Adelaide Strikers by eight runs in their last game. On the other hand, Melbourne Renegades continued their dry spell as they extended their losing streak to four games. After winning their first three in a row, the Renegades failed to live up to their potential.

Pitch Report

The surface of MCG is usually very even for both the batters and the bowlers. The pacers are expected to carry a bit more momentum in the first overs, and the batters are free to score once they're well set.

Players to watch

Marcus Stoinis

Adam Zampa

Aaron Finch

Kane Richardson

Match Prediction: Melbourne Stars will win this match because the team's batters are back in form now.

Squad

Melbourne Stars squad: Joe Clarke(w), Thomas Rogers, Marcus Stoinis, Beau Webster, Marcus Stoinis, Hilton Cartwright, Nick Larkin, Campbell Kellaway, Adam Zampa(c), Trent Boult, Luke Wood, Liam Hatcher, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Tom O Connell, James Seymour, Brody Couch, Clint Hinchliffe

Melbourne Renegades squad: Martin Guptill, Jake Fraser McGurk, Aaron Finch(c), Sam Harper(w), Jonathan Wells, Mackenzie Harvey, Akeal Hosein, Tom Rogers, Will Sutherland, Kane Richardson, Jack Prestwidge, Corey Rocchiccioli, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, David Moody, Shaun Marsh