Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Renegades (HBHvMLR): The 54th Match of KFC BBL 2021-22 will be played between these two teams HBH vs MLR, The match will begin on 18 January 2022 at 01:45 PM IST.
Key Points:
- The likes of Caleb Jewell, Ben McDermott, D’Arcy Short, and Matthew Wade have been in terrific touch and will not be easy to deal with
- Despite having experience, Melbourne Renegades have failed to execute things according to that plan more often than not
- Hobart Hurricanes have had a far better run in the tournament and will be more confidence between the two sides
Team Analysis:
With just four more matches to go in the Big Bash League 2021 season, the points table looks pretty settled. As many as four teams have already ensured a playoff spot for themselves and now the battle remains between the two sides – Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Stars, to occupy the fifth spot. Melbourne Stars no longer have their fate in their own hands and depend upon the result of the upcoming Hurricanes’ match.
Hobart Hurricanes are set to meet Melbourne Renegades in the next match of the tournament. The match is to be played at the Docklands Stadium, Melbourne on 18th January 2022. Since this match is basically going to govern the fifth occupant in the playoffs, Hobart Hurricanes are expected to put in their everything. Renegades, on the other hand, would want to avoid finishing at the bottom and are expected to come out all guns blazing. Given the stakes involved, it is a high-pressure match and a cracking contest is certainly on the cards here.
Match Details:
Date: January 18, 2022
Time: 01:45 PM (IST)
Venue: Docklands Stadium, Melbourne
Live Streaming: Sony LIV App
TV: Sony Sports Network
Pitch and Weather Conditions:
The Docklands Stadium is a brilliant venue for batsmen. The pitch is very good to bat on and the boundaries are quite small. There is a bit of rain predicted but nothing that should cause too much a problem. We expect to see a lot of sixes and the par score could be well above 160.
Team Preview:
Hobart Hurricanes (HBH):
Hobart Hurricanes didn’t get off to the kind of start they would have wanted, but quickly bounced back to the winning ways and consequently into the contention. With Adelaide Strikers already done with their quota, the best Hurricanes can do is get to the fourth spot, but that is not going to make any difference whatsoever.
A win here in this upcoming match will certainly take them to the fifth spot, at best to fourth, and that is exactly what they will be looking to do in this upcoming match. As it currently stands though, Hobart Hurricanes are placed at the fifth spot on the ladder, having a total of 24 points and a net run rate of 0.045. They have had a mixed tournament thus far – winning six and losing six out of a total of 12 matches played.
Hurricanes are coming off a decent run in their last three matches, registering two wins in those. Their most recent win – over Sydney Thunder, would have brimmed that with confidence given that Sydney Thunder have been one of the better sides in the tournament thus far. Batting first, the Hurricanes got going well with Caleb Jewell and Ben McDermott getting them off to a reasonably good start.
Thanks to a fifty from Jewell and a splendid knock of 83 from Matthew Wade, the Hurricanes eventually finished with a total of 177, which proved to be too heavy to take on for Thunder.
Riley Meredith, in particular, was spectacular with the ball as he picked up three important wickets without giving much away. Jordan Thompson and Sandeep Lamichhan contributed brillianty in the middle overs, picking up 5 wickets between them at the expense of 50 runs in seven overs.
On paper, Hobart Hurricanes are looking a terrific side, especially with Caleb Jewell doing well at the top. With the likes of D’Arcy Short, Matthew Wade, Tim David, and Peter Handscomb available in the middle-order, the Hurricanes have frightening depth.
The presence of versatile all-rounders also allows them to have variety in the bowling lineup and we saw them use that perfectly in the last match as they used seven bowlers in total.
All in all, Hurricanes have only improved as the tournament has progressed and much of that can be attributed to the way their top-order has played. It would be important for one of Ben McDermott, Matthew Wade, Caleb Jewell, or D’Arcy Short to get a big one in this upcoming match and if that happens, the Renegades will certainly have their work cut out.
Likely XI: Caleb Jewell, Ben McDermott, Matthew Wade, D’Arcy Short, Peter Handscomb, Tim David, Jordan Thompson, Thomas Rogers, Wil Parker, Sandeep Lamichhane, Riley Meredith.
Please check the team once when Playing XI Announced.
Melbourne Renegades (MLR):
Melbourne Renegades are having torrid times in the tournament right from the last season and although it looked like that they would manage to do a tad better this year, they just ended up losing the plot. A win here will, at best, get Melbourne Renegades off the bottom of the points table, but even that could be a big deal for them, especially considering the way they have performed in the competition so far.
As it currently stands, Melbourne Renegades are placed at the bottom of the points table with just three wins from 12 matches. They have a total of 15 points to their name coupled with a poor net run rate of -1.720, which anyway is no longer going to be of any significance. However, their net run rate does indicate how poor they have been in the competition thus far.
Even though Melbourne Renegades have had a couple of favorable results recently, both those wins came against the sides depleted by Covid-19 as Melbourne Stars and Brisbane Heat both played without their regular players in their respective matches against the Renegades. More recently though, Melbourne Renegades are coming off three back to back losses and are likely to be running low on morale.
They were defeated comprehensively by Melbourne Stars in their most recent match, which was played just a couple of days ago. As had been the case for Renegades up until that match, they were terrible against Stars as they managed to put a total of just 122 runs on the board. So poor was their batting that the Stars cruised past the total set by them with 33 balls to spare and six wickets in hand.
It’s not that Renegades do not have a decent side at their disposal. With the likes of Aaron Finch, Nic Maddinson, Kane Richardson, and Mohammad Nabi, the Renegades always had a decent side on paper. However, their execution was so off that they ended up on the losing side more often than not.
It is going to be a difficult assignment up next when they take on Hurricanes and will need to be at their absolute best. They are a capable unit and if they are able to hit their peak potential, they can well and truly surprise Hobart Hurricanes.
Likely XI: Shaun Marsh, Jake Fraser McGurk, Aaron Finch, Nic Maddinson, Mackenzie Harvey, Sam Harper, Jack Prestwidge, Cameron Boyce, Kane Richardson, Josh Lalor, Zahir Khan.
Please check the team once when Playing XI Announced.
Squads:
Hobart Hurricanes Squad: Scott Boland, Tim David. Nathan Ellis, Peter Handscomb, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Wil Parker, D’Arcy Short, Matthew Wade (c), Mac Wright, Sandeep Lamichhane, Caleb Jewell, Joel Paris, Harry Brook, Josh Kann, Tom Rogers
Melbourne Renegades Squad: Cameron Boyce, Zak Evans, Aaron Finch, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Josh Lalor, Shaun Marsh, James Pattinson, Mitch Perry, Jack Prestwidge, Kane Richardson, Will Sutherland, Nic Maddinson (c), Reece Topley, Unmukt Chand, Mohammad Nabi, Zahir Khan