Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey

BBL09 Match 20: MR vs SS Preview Dream11 Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | BBL09 Match Prediction Today | Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Sixers Prediction Today | Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Sixers Key Players | MR vs SS Dream11 Prediction

Ah, Melbourne Renegades. Champions one season, and then masters of their own downfall the next. Four games in, the Renegades are yet to register a win, producing four poor performances in the process.

They come up against a Sydney Sixers side that always seems to lose a game just as they pick up momentum. The Sixers have now won two straight games, and have the chance to instill further pain into the side that knocked them out in incredible fashion last season.

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Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

• Tom Curran has been brilliant in BBL09. He has 88 runs and eight wickets in the tournament.
• Josh Philippe has been under-par since his 81 in the first game. However, he scored 52 at Marvel Stadium on his last visit.
• Moises Henriques is the highest scorer in Renegades-Sixers matches: 275 runs at avg. 34.38. Aaron Finch (two half-centuries in a row in BBL09) is next on the list with 210 runs at 35.00.
• Kane Richardson has taken 18 wickets in his last eight games at Marvel Stadium. Also, he has six wickets in four games vs Sixers.
• Ben Manenti to get a run? Sean Abbott is out with a side-strain, and Manenti won man-of-the-match in the corresponding game last season.
• Beau Webster has been a shining light so far for Melbourne Renegades in BBL09: 131 runs in four matches at avg. 131, SR: 155.95.
• Lloyd Pope took 3/23 last game. He could be a handful on the slow Marvel Stadium track.
• Cameron Boyce has taken eight wickets in his past four matches at Marvel Stadium.
• Dan Christian played a classic 31 off 14 balls to see Renegades into the BBL Final last season. However, he is currently looking a shadow of that player this season.

Head to Head

• Matches: 10, Renegades 5, Sixers 5.
• Renegades have won three of the past four matches, the last a thrilling Semi Final win last season.

Key to a Melbourne Renegades win

It has been an error-riddled campaign so far for the Renegades. This was most personified in an awful over in their chase against Strikers, where Aaron Finch, Marcus Harris and Dan Christian all threw their wicket away.

If they are to break their BBL09 duck, the middle order needs to build on a platform that the top order must set. As the Renegades possess an attack capable to take wickets and dry up runs on the Marvel Stadium pitch, a complete performance is needed.

Key to a Sydney Sixers win

Which Sixers team will show up for this one? Tom Curran has been outstanding with bat and ball in the past two games, and if he can get admirable support from the spinners, the Sixers can be very hard to beat in these conditions.

Also, can Josh Philippe overcome his lean run of scores? If he can, the Sixers will be on their way, with the likes of Daniel Hughes, James Vince, Moises Henriques and Curran able to build on it.

Possible Playing 11

Left-arm spinner Tom Andrews comes into the Renegades’ 13-man squad for Harry Gurney, who has left for England to attend his brother’s wedding.

Melbourne Renegades: 1. Sam Harper (wk), 2. Aaron Finch (c), 3. Shaun Marsh, 4. Marcus Harris/Tom Cooper, 5. Beau Webster, 6. Dan Christian, 7. Will Sutherland, 8. Cameron Boyce, 9. Kane Richardson, 10. Tom Andrews/Joe Mennie, 11. Richard Gleeson

Sean Abbott is out with a side strain. Steve O’Keefe is back in the 13-man squad and could play. There is a chance that the Sixers could go for a spin-trio of O’Keefe-Ben Manenti-Lloyd Pope, with Tom Curran and Ben Dwarshuis the seam options.

Also, it remains to be seen if James Vince has recovered sufficiently from a knock to his elbow before the last game.

Sydney Sixers: 1. Josh Philippe (wk), 2. Daniel Hughes, 3. James Vince, 4. Moises Henriques (c), 5. Jordan Silk, 6. Jack Edwards, 7. Tom Curran, 8. Ben Dwarshuis, 9. Steve O’Keefe, 10. Lloyd Pope, 11. Ben Manenti/Jackson Bird

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Pitch and Conditions

The Marvel Stadium track was slow for the December 29th game between the Renegades and Strikers. The outfield was painfully slow as well.

Slow pitches are the norm at Docklands – more of the same can be expected here. A pleasant 25 degrees is forecast for Melbourne on Thursday.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

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• 6 tips to increase chances of winning in Dream11
• MyTeam11 vs Dream11: Which is better for you?
• Pros and cons of Dream11’s deadline decision

Match Prediction

Melbourne Renegades are in awful form, but the Sixers are known for the odd poor performance after a win or two.

The Sixers are favourites, but the slow surface at Marvel Stadium makes this a bat-first game for whoever wins the toss. A score of 140-150 might very well be enough.

Thanks for reading!

Also read: Is cricket blogging something you are looking to pursue more of in 2020? Download my free E-Book for tips!