Game two of the BBL15 season takes place in Geelong as the Renegades from Melbourne take over the Brisbane heat. Both sides had disappointing campaigns in BBL14 missing the finals, so they will be desperate to start their campaign with a win! Below you will find our full game preview, best bet and best player prop!
BBL15 Renegades vs Heat betting odds
GMHBA Stadium, Sunday 15 December, 7.15pm AEDT
Renegades from Melbourne
Team: Jason Behrendorff, Josh Brown, Harry Dixon, Brendan Doggett, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Caleb Jewell, Hassan Khan, Nathan Lyon, Fergus O’Neill, Ollie Peake, Muhammad Rizwan, Tom Rogers, Gurinder Sandhu, Tim Seifert, Callum Stow, Will Sutherland, Adam Zampa
The Renegades had a productive off-season signing, Jason Behrendorff, who was the leading wicket-taker in BBL14. The Renegades also signed Brendan Doggett, but it appears he will miss most of the season on international duty given Josh Hazlewood’s injury. Caleb Jewell joins from the championship-winning Hurricanes, which will add some much-needed depth to the batting unit. The biggest acquisition the Renegades made was drafting Muhammad Rizwan, which will give the Renegades real star power.
The Gades will look for their young core of Jake Fraser-McGurk, Harry Dixon and Ollie Peake to move to the next level in BBL15. They are among the brightest talents in the country, but the Renegades will need real performances from them if they are to improve on their sixth-place finish in BBL14. The Renegades scored above 173 just once last season, and they will need a big boost from their batting unit this season.
The Renegades’ bowling attack is packed with talent, which will be the biggest strength for them this season. Jason Behrendorff and Tom Rogers were the top two wicket-takers in BBL14, Fergus O’Neill was arguably the best bowler in domestic cricket over the past two years and Adam Zampa is Australia’s greatest white-ball spinner. Add WIll Sutherland to that mix and the Renegades have a seriously potent bowling attack. GHMBA Stadium and Marvel Stadium have been tough surfaces to bat on, and the Renegades’ bowling attack should be able to take advantage of that.
Brisbane heat
Team: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Tom Alsop, Xavier Bartlett, Max Bryant, Lachlan Hearne, Spencer Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan McSweeney, Colin Munro, Michael Neser, Oli Patterson, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Callum Vidler, Hugh Weibgen, Jack Wildermuth
The Heat could not live up to their BBL13 title heroics, finishing seventh in BBL14 with a record of 3-6-1. Brisbane made a huge splash in the draft, taking Pakistani speedy Shaheen Shah Afridi with the number one pick. Afridi is a huge asset for the Heat, especially considering Spencer Johnson will miss the entire season due to a back injury. The Heat will have one of the best offenses in the league with Xavier Bartlett, Callum Vidler, Matt Kuhnemann and possibly Michael Neser.
The Heat will need their bowling attack to be at its best if they want to have a chance of jumping back into the finals. In their last three matches of BBL14, they have conceded 251, 207 and 199 points. Given the lack of depth in their batting, with Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne unavailable for most of the season, they will need their bowling unit to take some of the pressure off the batting.
Brisbane’s top order looks impressive with Colin Munro, Matthew Renshaw and Nathan McSweeney. Renshaw was the 5th highest run scorer last season, Munro was among the top scorers in previous BBL campaigns, while McSweeney is in good form after scoring a double hundred for Australia A last week. The big question for Brisbane is their depth. Englishman Tom Alsop showed some glimpses last season but has yet to prove himself, so the Heat will need substantial contributions from youngsters Hugh Weibgen and Lachie Hearne.
Match prediction
An early season match in Geelong is likely to present a difficult surface for batters, so the bowling attack that best exploits the conditions will go a long way to victory. Last season the Renegades knocked out eventual champions Hobart for just 74 at the venue, while the BBL13 match in Geelong was abandoned due to a dangerous throw. 139. Since BBL11, only one team has scored above 151 (Scorchers v Stars in BBL11).
The Renegades’ depth with bat and ball will ultimately make the difference in this match. The Renegades have won four of their last six games against Brisbane and are 2-0 against the Heat at GMHBA Stadium. The Renegades have won three of their last four completed matches in Geelong, and their experience at the venue will be crucial in this match.
The Melbourne Renegades win
$1.85 (1 unit)
Renegades vs. Heat Player Prop Bet
Jason Behrendorff comes to the Renegades with a pile of experience and sits fifth on the all-time BBL wickets list with 140 wickets. Behrendorff is also in excellent form as he was the leading wicket-taker last season with 17 wickets at an average of 17.41. In BBL13 he ranked 5th with 16 wickets and in BBL12 he also ranked 5th in the list of wicket takers with 21 wickets. Behrendorff has been a consistent performer for a long time and will start his Renegades career on a high note.
Jason Behrendorff – Renegades Top Bowler
$4.50
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