Thursday night BBL action brings us the second leg of a Marvel Stadium double header, with the Renegades hosting the Stars for the second Melbourne Derby of the season. The Renegades had a fairly comfortable 5 wicket win in the first edition, although that was when the Stars were just starting to become decimated by COVID. The Renegades are 3-7, while the Stars are 4-6, with both sides sitting outside the top 5. Luckily the Heats struggles in 5th place means that the 3 teams are fighting for the final spot in the finals. Weather will be no issue under the Marvel Stadium roof.

 

There is a $25,000+ contest up on Draftstars for the match-up, with a top prize of $2480. There are also high roller, micro and mini contests on offer.

 

Draftstars

 

Expected Renegades Xl: Finch, Fraser-McGurk, Marsh, Maddinson, Harvey, Harper, Sutherland, Khan, Lalor, Boyce, Richardson (Evans, Merlo, Prestwidge)

Expected Stars Xl: Clarke, Larkin, Maxwell, Burns, Cartwright, Webster, Ahmed, Rauf, Zampa, Rainbird, Couch (Coulter-Nile, Stoinis)

 

The Stars are $1.55 favourites, and look like they could be strengthened by the return of Nathan Coulter-Nile and Marcus Stoinis. While there is no certainty of that, they are in the squad, and would likely force out Rainbird and Larkin/Webster if ready to play. Glenn Maxwell is due for a big game after 5 consecutive scores of 25 or less.

 

The Renegades copped a hiding from the Sixers, with their top order again struggling to provide any drive in the run-chase. There isn’t much they can do about it at this point, with Jonathan Merlo the only young batsmen in the squad that could come in if they want to try something different. Cameron Boyce was a welcome addition back into the bowling group, with he and Kane Richardson able to carry the team to a position where the batters at least had a chance.

 

Looking for Draftstars scores from previous editions from the BBL? Our Free Players Logs + Ground Fantasy breakdowns are now available in our BBL11 Data Tools

 

Love It- Jake Fraser-McGurk $9100

While the young Victorian clearly still needs to develop his game at just 19 years of age, the talent is easy to see. With 17 BBL games under his belt, the Renegades appear intent on giving him the opportunity to open for now. HIs power game is lacking, but given the price tag and the opportunity, this seems like a no brainer selection. A repeat of his 28 points in the role last game would likely be enough on this slate, and it doesn’t hurt that he fields in the hotspots on the boundary for some catching opportunities.

 

Love It- Nathan Coutler-Nile $15,600

If Coulter-Nile plays, I expect that he’ll be able to show his class straight away against one of the weakest batting groups in the BBL. There is the slightest of concerns that he’s missed 4 straight games, but his BBL recored is stellar and I’m happy to trust that given we’re getting a bit of a discount. If he doesn’t play I also like the price on Haris Rauf who has put together 4 nice scores in his 4 games this year without really blowing the ceiling off.

 

Don’t Love It- Cameron Boyce $15,000

I’m going a bit harsh here, but after Boyce put up a slate-winning score at low ownership in his first Bbl game for two years, I’m feeling like the fade could be on. The likes of Clarke, Stoinis, Cartwright and Maxwell all have the ability to take a spinner down on their day, and Boyce could be targeted as a key member of the Renegades bowling. Numbers wise this price tag is still fine for him, but gut feel is to stay away tonight.

 

Don’t Love It- Aaron Finch/Shaun Marsh $17,100

It’s perhaps not very creative of me to keep rolling these two out, but it feels like the obvious fade on every Renegades slate. Both are not he wrong side of 35, and in terms of exceeding 50 points, Marsh has done it in 4 of his last 16 games, while it’s 3/20 for Finch. Given I like the chances of Coulter-Nile and Rauf tonight, I struggle to see any of the Renegades batsmen having a big impact, but especially these two overpriced options.

 

Who Knows- Joe Burns $12, 600

It’s not impossible that Burns misses out tonight to make room for Stoinis, but I’m considering using him as a unique dart throw if he’s still batting in the top 4. With a top score of 32 in his 4 games this season, the form doesn’t look all that compelling. However he did manage to score 50+ points in 3/12 games for the Heat last season, and I think there is a chance that we can catch come lightning in a bottle against the weak Renegades team.

Suggested Draftstars Line-up

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