Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Renegades: Preview & Predictions (BBL14)

The Perth Scorchers will welcome the Melbourne Renegades at the Optus Stadium on Tuesday evening as the race for the BBL 14 playoff stages heats up.

Ashton Turner and company have already met their Victorian rivals earlier this season. They could not return from Melbourne with a win, but the best betting sites in Australia believe they can avenge that defeat in the reverse fixture.

The Scorchers suffered a last-ball defeat against the Sydney Thunder in their last encounter. Still, the Perth team finds a good position to qualify for the playoffs and rank third overall.

Conversely, the Renegades have had a rollercoaster ride all season, but their most recent performance has been generally poor—three straight losses.

Who will return to winning ways? Read on for our full preview of the Scorchers vs Renegades.

Perth Scorchers

Following early losses to the Renegades and Hurricanes, the Scorchers put their title credentials under close scrutiny. Back-to-back victories against the Heat and Strikers brought their playoff pursuit back on track, but it hit another bump in the road against the visiting Thunder side on Friday.

The five-time champions were on the losing side of an end-to-end Big Bash classic against the Thunders. Chasing the 177/4 of the home team, Thunder had to get three runs in the last delivery. Sherfane Rutherford sealed the game with a boundary off the last ball, however a horrific collision involving Cameron Bancroft and Daniel Sams overshadowed the contest.

Earlier, Finn Allen scored a stunning 68 off 31 balls, helping the Scorchers put together a strong total of 177 runs for four. In front of the season-high 46,471 Optus Stadium crowd, Cooper Connolly also added an undefeated 43 from 31 balls.

Melbourne Renegades

In their season opener, the Melbourne Renegades fell to the Sydney Sixers. However, they reacted rather brilliantly with victories against the Hurricanes and the Scorchers.

This resilience has apparently disappeared though, with three losses in their last three games, the most recent against their local rivals Melbourne Stars.

At the bottom of the standings, the Stars had only one victory under their belts before taking on the Renegades. Renegades’ captain Will Sutherland, therefore, must have eyed the derby as the perfect opportunity to end their poor run. But the reality turned out different as the Stars put on an amazing show to surpass their neighbours.

Needing 170 runs to win, the Stars were reduced to 41/3 at one point. Ben Duckett and Marcus Stoinis weathered the storm with an 83-run partnership. Hilton Cartwright and Glenn Maxwell provided the finishing touch as the Stars reached the target with five wickets and two balls to spare.

History puts the Scorchers miles ahead in this match up, even though the Renegades prevailed in the most recent fight between these two sides. The defeat at Marvel Stadium was only their fourth against the Renegades, while the Scorchers have won no less than 16 times against the 2019 champions.

The Renegades have not won in Perth in their last four trips. They have beaten the Scorchers away only once, winning by 78 runs in 2018, courtesy of a brilliant Chris Tremain spell.

Finn Allen has grabbed the headlines in recent weeks, but Cooper Connolly has been exceptional in the Perth Scorchers batting lineup throughout the tournament. The middle order batsman is currently the top-run scorer in the 24/25 Big Bash League season.

Laurie Evans will be playing his old team once more. After impressing with a quickfire 24 off 11 balls against the Stars, the Renegades hitter will be keen to improve on that against the Scorchers. Evans, who has scored 70 runs in his last three games, will be aiming for an even more significant contribution this time.

Betting apps are backing the Perth Scorchers to beat the Melbourne Renegades in this match. Given the firepower the Scorchers have in their batting lineup, they should have no problem in outscoring the Renegades in the friendly batting conditions of the Optus Stadium.

While the Perth Scorchers will be sensing blood in the water considering their opponents have struggled in recent weeks, the Melbourne Renegades will seek encouragement from their victory in the reverse fixture. We give this one to the home side though.