Renegades vs. Stars odds, betting tips & Big Bash specials

THE Melbourne Renegades will be hurting after their narrow defeat in WA on Monday night.

The visitors looked to have the Perth Scorchers conquered until Brad Hogg, of all people, gave up 13 runs with his last two deliveries at the WACA.

It was a cracking contest littered with top-shelf performances on both sides.

Aaron Finch and Cameron White led the ‘Gades to a very competitive total of 3/185, while Mohammed Nabi was the pick of the bowlers with 1/30.

With the in-form Finch departing for Australia’s ODI squad, it will fall to Brad Hodge and the other old heads to pick up the reins.

Can things get any worse for the winless Melbourne Stars?

They went into Tuesday’s clash at Adelaide Oval without one of their most experienced campaigners after Luke Wright injured his back in a bathroom fall.

Marcus Stoinis stepped up with a classy 39 at the top of the order and Glenn Maxwell hit 60, but they found little support as the Stars struggled to 6/151.

The Strikers ran that down with eight wickets to spare as John Hastings yet again failed to strike the right balance with his bowling rotations.

With Peter Handscomb in a rut and Kevin Pietersen on his last legs, the outlook is not promising for the men in green as their best players head off for international duty.

Cameron White betting specials

Man of the match	+700	+600	–
Top Renegades runscorer	+270	+275	+250
To score 50	–	+225	–

This guy is in career-best form.

That says plenty when you consider that White has played for Australia 139 times across all formats.

The Victorian veteran leads the BBL07 batting charts with 285 runs at 142.50 after six games.

That record includes four unbeaten innings and only one score of less than 35.

Such consistency is pure gold in Twenty20 cricket.

With Finch out of the equation, all signs point to another top batsman gong for ‘The Bear’.

Best bets for Renegades vs. Stars

• Melbourne Renegades to win – -149.25 at Neds
• Dwayne Bravo top bowler – +250 at Ladbrokes

The Scorchers are the only team to have beaten the ‘Gades this season.

The red and black have swept aside all other comers and look hell-bent on making an impact in the Big Bash League finals.

Finch is a big loss, but Andrew McDonald’s squad is loaded with experienced heads and proven performers.

In comparison, the Stars will suffer much more from the absence of Stoinis and Adam Zampa.

They will be absolutely rooted if Maxwell also works his way into the Aussie XI.

The hole is too deep for even a coach of Stephen Fleming’s calibre to find a way out of.

Back the ‘Gades for more derby delight.