Renegades vs. Thunder free tips & Big Bash betting specials

Chris Gayle might be gone, but Aaron Finch, Cameron White, fit-again Callum Ferguson and new recruit Marcus Harris make for a very potent top order.

Perhaps even more important are the additions of spin kings Sunil Narine and Brad Hogg, who will add real quality to what was a powderpuff bowling attack last season.

They will also have gun fast bowler James Pattinson – remember him? – back for the first time since BBL04, while Chris Tremain comes in off 27 wickets in five Sheffield Shield games for Victoria.

Throw in a much more favourable draw than they’ve had in recent years, and one can see why punters have backed the Renegades into $5.50 for the title at CrownBet.com.au.

Andrew McDonald’s men could hardly have picked a better time to face Sydney Thunder.

Having lost Michael Hussey and Jacques Kallis to retirement, the defending champs are also without injured captain Shane Watson and Test star Usman Khawaja.

To make matters worse, West Indian allrounder Andre Russell looked well short of peak fitness in the nine-wicket defeat to Sydney Sixers in Tuesday’s BBL06 opener.

Pat Cummins was carted all over the park, while a pair of dropped catches off Moises Henriques proved costly as the Sixers skipper went on to notch a match-winning 76.

That isn’t to say there weren’t any positive signs for the Thunder.

Ryan Gibson impressed with 53 at the top of the innings and Eoin Morgan looked in good touch before copping a questionable caught-behind decision on 26.

But the middle order of Ben Rohrer (2), Jake Doran (0), Chris Green (0) and Russell (9) succumbed far too easily, and it would have been much worse had Cummins not rallied with a quickfire 30 at the end.

2016-17 Big Bash League squads

Melbourne Renegades: Aaron Finch (captain), Tom Beaton, Dwayne Bravo, Tom Cooper, Xavier Doherty, Callum Ferguson, Marcus Harris, Brad Hogg, Sunil Narine, Peter Nevill, James Pattinson, Nathan Rimmington, Matthew Short, Peter Siddle, Chris Tremain, Matthew Wade, Cameron White, Nick Winter.

Sydney Thunder: Shane Watson (captain), Fawad Ahmed, Aiden Blizzard, Pat Cummins, Jake Doran, Ryan Gibson, Chris Green, Usman Khawaja, Jay Lenton, Nathan McAndrew, Alister McDermott, Clint McKay, Eoin Morgan, Arjun Nair, Kurtis Patterson, Ben Rohrer, Andre Russell, Gurinder Sandhu.

Renegades vs. Thunder match tips

The Thunder were some ways off their title-winning best on Tuesday night.

Without Watson and Khawaja, both of whom are expected to miss again in Melbourne, they look a little short on quality and balance.

They will need the entire bowling department to step up in a big way if they hope to compete on Thursday.

The Renegades are flush with form batsmen and now boast one of the most exciting and well-balanced bowling outfits in the Twenty20 Big Bash League.

If the likes of Narine, Pattinson and Tremain hit the ground running, they will be very hard to beat.

The Melbourne club’s decision to sign two top-line spinners suggests this Etihad pitch might be a little more lively than the absolute road that was served up last term.

Either way, the Renegades must cash in on these early home fixtures before Finch and a perhaps a few others are called away for Australia duty.

Match winner – Melbourne Renegades ($1.74 at Sportsbet)

Highest opening partnership – Melbourne Renegades ($1.86 at Sportsbet)

Renegades most runs/wickets double – White/Tremain ($21 at William Hill)

Cameron White T20 betting markets

Contrary to the popular opinion of the past few years, the former Victoria captain is far from done.

White has launched into the 2016-17 summer of cricket with the verve and purpose of a man who, at 33, hasn’t yet given up on a national recall.

He top scored in the Matador Cup with 457 runs in seven innings and has kicked off the Sheffield Shield season in similar style, notching a century and three 50s at an average of 75.60 runs per innings.

Get around him for the Big Bash top batsman markets and don’t rule him out altogether as a sneaky wicket-taking option, especially if only one of Doherty, Hogg and Narine is named.

Man of the match – $9 at Sportsbet

Top Renegades batsman – $4 at William Hill

Top Renegades bowler – $21 at Sportsbet

To score 50 – $6 at Bet365

To score 100 – $19 at Bet365

Big Bash bonuses at online bookmakers

A number of Australia’s best online sports betting operators are running mega money-back deals throughout the 2016-17 Big Bash League T20 season.

Bet on the Renegades vs. Thunder BBL clash at one of BettingSite’s top-ranked bookies to cash in on specials such as these:

– Cash back up to $25 in CrownBet Rewards if your top team batsman pick makes a duck or scores 30+ runs but doesn’t top score

– Double winnings up to $50 in bonus cash at Sportsbet if your team wins and scores 180 runs or more in the process

– Double winnings up to $200 cash at Bet365 if your team wins and hits eight or more sixes for the match