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The Melbourne Renegades will take on the Sydney Thunder in the 40th match of the Big Bash League (BBL) 2021 at Docklands Stadium in Melbourne on Saturday.
The Thunder, led by Chris Green, have been outstanding in the ongoing edition of the T20 league. Having won six out of nine matches, they are placed third in the table with 23 points and a net run rate of 0.653. In their previous game, the Thunder defeated the Perth Scorchers by six wickets.
After opting to bat first in a rain-curtailed 18-over game, the Scorchers could only score 133 for the loss of nine wickets. Gurinder Sandhu picked up a four-wicket haul, conceding only 22 runs in four overs. Daniel Sams and Green also managed to keep a check on the run-chasing.
Thereafter, the Thunder tracked the target down in 17 overs. Matthew Gilkes and Alex Hales got them off to a flying start with a partnership of 51 runs. Jason Sangha top-scored for them with a 34-run knock. Cameos from Sam Billings and Oliver Davies helped the Thunder over the finish line.
The Renegades, led by Nic Maddinson, on the other hand, are slowly but surely coming up the ladder. The team, once placed at the bottom, has now got up to fifth in the table. Having won two back-to-back games, the Renegades currently have pretty good momentum.
They will come into this match after beating Brisbane Heat by five wickets on January 6. After electing to field first, the Renegades restricted their opponents to 128 for six. Kane Richardson, Zahir Khan Pakteen and Mohammad Nabi picked up two wickets apiece for them.
Jake Lehmann scored 65 runs off 52 balls for the Heat, but he didn’t get much support from others. The Renegades didn’t have to break much sweat in their run-chase as they chased the target down in 15 overs. Shaun Marsh smashed 57 runs to take his team over the line.
Can the Renegades beat the Thunder?
The Renegades, without a doubt, have done well of late and got themselves up from the bottom of the table. But the Thunder are in incredible form as well, having won four games in a row.
The Thunder seem slight favorites for the upcoming game.
Prediction: Sydney Thunder to win this game on Saturday.
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Poll : Will the Renegades beat the Thunder?
Yes
No
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