Melbourne Renegades vs Brisbane Heat Qualifier Prediction, Betting Tips & Odds

The third playoff of this season’s Big Bash League brings Melbourne Renegades and Brisbane Heat together. The loser of this tie will be eliminated from the tournament with the victors progressing to Thursday’s Challenger. Both teams have odds of 10/11 (1.91) to win the game and we have Melbourne Renegades as favourites to come out on top.

These odds from Ladbrokes were correct at the time of writing.

• Knockout, BBL 2022-23
• Sunday January 29th, from 08:15 AM GMT
• Docklands Stadium, Melbourne

Pitch Report and Weather Conditions

Some pitches favour a certain type of bowler or are known as a ‘road’ when batting is easy. However, the Docklands Stadium is famed for providing a fair contest between bat and ball. It would be a surprise if either team managed to score over 165 in the first innings of the game.

Cloudy and humid conditions are forecast for Melbourne on Sunday evening but it looks like the venue will escape any rain interruptions during the match. The temperature will be no higher than 20 degrees throughout the fixture.

Melbourne Renegades vs Brisbane Heat, Knockout – Match Predictions

There is very little to choose between the teams, although Brisbane Heat have had the better results over the last three weeks of the tournament. Both sides have inconsistent batting line-ups and we expect this game to be won by the team who bowls the best. The Renegades bowling attack kept Adelaide Strikers down to 142-7 on this pitch last Tuesday and we are backing them to do enough to win the game for their side.

Probable 6s

The batters will come into this game high on confidence after both Melbourne Renegades and Brisbane Heat struck the most sixes in their last BBL fixtures. Clearing the boundary ropes can go a long way to winning a T20 match but it is by no means a guarantee of a victory. With Heat losing their Test batters after this game, we expect those players to play with a little bit more freedom and to go on the attack from ball one. 

Our prediction: Brisbane Heat to Hit Most Sixes 1/1 (2.00)

Probable Wickets

40 year old Fawad Ahmed will be looking forward to his second successive Big Bash League match at the Docklands Stadium. In Melbourne Renegades’ final group stage fixture against Adelaide Strikers, the leg-spinner took 3-17 from four overs. He will relish the opportunity to spin his side into Thursday’s Challenger.

Our prediction: Fawad Ahmed to Be the Highest Wicket Taker for Melbourne Renegades 4/1 (5.00)

Man of the Match

All teams like to time their run of form to peak in line with the play-offs, but equally individual players do the same. After a good start to BBL12, Aaron Finch had a quiet few weeks but he has roared back into form over the last two matches. He comes into this clash after scores of 76 not out against Perth Scorchers and 63 not out against Adelaide Strikers here at the Docklands Stadium. We have picked him out to be the most important player in this game.

Our prediction: Aaron Finch to Be the Man of the Match 9/1 (10.00)

Melbourne Renegades vs Brisbane Heat Preview

With the games coming thick and fast during the play-off phase, we expect both teams to make as few changes as possible from their previous matches. Melbourne Renegades have already beaten Brisbane Heat twice in this season’s competition.

Melbourne Renegades

With a bowling attack which has found some form over recent games, Melbourne Renegades will put their faith in the experienced trio of Martin Guptill (36 years), Shaun Marsh (39) and captain Aaron Finch (36) with the bat.

Playing XI: Martin Guptill, Shaun Marsh, Sam Harper (wk), Aaron Finch (c), Matt Critchley, Jonathan Wells. Will Sutherland, Tom Rogers, Corey Rocchiccioli, Kane Richardson, Fawad Ahmed

Brisbane Heat

Spinner Mitchell Swepson is unavailable for this clash as he and other spinners prepare for the Test tour of India. In his place we expect Xavier Bartlett to come into an otherwise unchanged Brisbane Heat team.

Playing XI: Usman Khawaja (c), Josh Brown, Marnus Labuschagne, Matt Renshaw, Sam Hain, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Michael Neser, James Bazley, Matthew Kuhnemann, Spencer Johnson, Xavier Bartlett

How to Watch Big Bash in the UK: Live Streaming & Channel List

The timing of this match is perfect for a lazy Sunday morning in front of the TV in the UK. Put Sky Sports Cricket on and you will be able to see the entirety of the game. However, if you are out and about, the Sky Go App has you covered and will broadcast every ball.