BBL Renegades vs Heat

The Melbourne Renegades are off to their best start in years, opening BBL12 with two wins against strong opponents.

One of those opponents was the Brisbane Heat, who will travel to Geelong in search of revenge on Wednesday night.

Draftstars have put up a huge $25,000 contest for this one, as well as some Qualifier contests to suit every budget.

Renegades Squad: Nic Maddinson (C), Zak Evans, Aaron Finch, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Martin Guptill (NZ), Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Akeal Hosein (WI), Ruwantha Kellapotha (SRI), Shaun Marsh, Jack Prestwidge, Kane Richardson, Corey Rocchiccioli, Tom Rogers, Andre Russell (WI), Will Sutherland, Mujeeb Ur Rahman (AFG), Jon Wells, Peter Handscomb

Heat Squad: Sam Billings (ENG), Colin Munro (NZ), Ross Whiteley (ENG) Xavier Bartlett, James Bazley, Max Bryant, Sam Heazlett, Usman Khawaja, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Mark Steketee, Mitch Swepson, Jack Wildermuth, Spencer Johnson, Will Prestwidge, Josh Brown (replacement player), Sam Hain (ENG)

I, along with many punters, didn’t set high expectations for the Melbourne Renegades heading into BBL12.

However, they have started on the right note, winning both of their opening matches.

Captain Nic Maddinson has been the driving force behind the Renegades resurgence, ploughing 126 runs to lead the run scoring charts.

Aaron Finch also looked in fine touch last start, turning back the clock with a classy 70* to see the red side of Melbourne home.

The Renegades certainly seem to have found a balanced best XI with the introduction of spinners Akeal Hossein and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, although it’s a long tournament and things can change quickly.

Conversely, the Heat failed to make an impact in their first match, falling to the Renegades up in Cairns.

Despite the efforts of Jimmy Pierson (43 off 30) and Ross Whitely (28 off 18) down the order, the Queensland-based side fell 22 runs short of Melbourne’s 166, a less than ideal start.

However, the Heat will welcome Michael Neser and Matt Renshaw back into the fold for this clash, so they should give a better showing.

Hurricanes vs Scorchers Fantasy Plays

Love It – Jake Fraser-McGurk ($9,300)

Talented youngster Fraser-McGurk hasn’t set the BBL alight so far this season, scoring just 27 runs in two innings. However, he has a great role batting at first drop and smoked 80 off 38 for Richmond in a Premier Cricket T20 match on Tuesday night. With that in mind, I’m willing to give him a crack at just over $9k.

Love It – Mitchell Swepson ($16,600)

Swepson must be licking his lips ahead of this game. The leg-spinner gets a great matchup against a fragile Renegades middle order jam-packed with right-handers, bread and butter for a wrist spinner.

Don’t Love It – Max Bryant ($13,100)

I respect Bryant’s talent, but he has been very inconsistent at this level. Although he gets plenty of opportunity as an opener, $13k is a lot to pay for a hitter who isn’t known for smashing big scores and is coming off a duck.

Don’t Love It – Xavier Bartlett ($14,500)

Bartlett has a great record as a wicket-taking quick in the BBL, however, his most recent showing against the Renegades was a shocker. Bartlett’s three overs went for 51 runs, that’s an economy rate of 17, so his confidence will no doubt have taken a hit. There are plenty of other bowlers I prefer at this price.

Who Knows – Kane Richardson ($18,800)

Seasoned star Kane Richardson hasn’t hit his straps so far this campaign. In two matches he has scored 64 DFS points at an average of 32, far from the triple-figure scores we know he is capable of. After all, he is nearly $19k for a reason. I’m sure one of those big performances will come soon, but it’s hard to know when.

Draftstars Suggested Lineup

Draftstars

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