The Melbourne Renegades will take on defending champions Sydney Thunder in the third match of the 2016-17 Big Bash League at the Etihad Stadium today.
Since finishing top of the table in the second edition of the Big Bash League and getting eliminated in the semi finals the Melbourne Renegades have not had a good tournament in the following three editions, which saw them finish outside the top four. A major area of concern for the Renegades this season will be how to replace Chris Gayle. Despite Gayle not having the best of seasons in the last edition of the BBL, he has the potential to change the outcome of a match at any given moment.
With Gayle gone, Melbourne Renegades captain Aaron Finch will have a lot of pressure on his shoulders to get runs. The former Australian T20 captain has struggled for form recently with the Australian national side and he will be determined to make an impression and get back to his best form. Marcus Harris is likely to take Gayle's spot along with Finch at the top of the order. Tom Cooper and Cameron White are two other options that the Renegades have.
West Indies duo Dwayne Brave and Sunil Narine will be two key players for the Renegades this season. Both players have had a fantastic T20 careers until now and can certainly help the Renegades have a better season compared to their last three.
The Sydney Thunder had the worst possible start to their BBL title defense after they lost to the Sydney Sixers in the first match of the tournament and they will be hoping to put in a better performance this match to get their campaign up and running. The Thunders will have to continue without two of their key players in Usman Khawaja, who is on international duty, and their captain Shane Watson who is still nursing an injury.
Eoin Morgan, who was signed this season, will have to step up the match for the Thunders and he will be expected to fire with the bat after disappointing in the first match. Big hitter Andre Russell is another player who will have to put in a better performance with the bat for the Thunders after he scored just nine runs in their first match. The Sydney Thunder will also have to improve their bowling after they managed to pick up only one wicket in their defeat against the Sydney Sixers.
Squad
Melbourne Renegades: Aaron Finch (c), Tom Beaton, Dwayne Bravo, Tom Cooper, Xavier Doherty, Callum Ferguson, Marcus Harris, Brad Hogg, Sunil Narine, Peter Nevill, James Pattinson, Nathan Rimmington, Peter Siddle, Chris Tremain, Matthew Wade, Matthew Short, Cameron White, Nick Winter
Sydney Thunder: Shane Watson (c), Fawad Ahmed, Aiden Blizzard, Patrick Cummins, Jake Doran, Ryan Gibson, Chris Green, Chris Hartley, Usman Khawaja, Nathan McAndrew, Alister McDermott, Clint McKay, Eoin Morgan, Arjun Nair, Kurtis Patterson, Ben Rohrer, Andre Russell, Gurinder Sandhu
The Big Bash League 2016-17 match between Melbourne Renegades and Sydney Thunder is set to start at 19:40 local (08:40 GMT | 14:10 IST)
Where to watch
India: Star Sports 2/HD2. Live Streaming: Hotstar.com
Australia: TV: Network Ten. Live Streaming: Bigbash.com.au
United Kingdom:TV:Sky Sports 2/HD2. Live Streaming: Watch Sky Sports
USA and Canada:Willow TV
South Africa: Supersport
