Will Sutherland’s Renegades go into the Melbourne derby on the back of a four-wicket win over Perth Scorchers, their second victory in a row. The bowlers did the bulk of the work in that game, and Sutherland will want more from the batters. They have also beaten the Stars once already this season and will be keen to keep that record intact.
Josh Brown and Tim Seifert provide firepower at the top, though Mohammad Rizwan’s lack of runs has been a worry for the middle order, where Jake Fraser-McGurk and Oliver Peake also play a part. Hassan Khan and Sutherland are expected to finish. Gurinder Sandhu took four wickets last time and will share the new ball with Jason Behrendorff, while Callum Stow and Sutherland were a little expensive and need to tighten up.
Marcus Stoinis’s Stars are under pressure after three straight defeats, the latest a six-wicket loss to Sydney Sixers in which the batting collapsed. Sam Harper and Thomas Rogers are expected to open, with Stoinis, Campbell Kellaway and Blake Macdonald through the middle and Glenn Maxwell and Hilton Cartwright to finish. Peter Siddle and Liam Hatcher must provide early breakthroughs, with Haris Rauf and Mitchell Swepson adding variety.