MLR vs HBH 32nd Match Prediction

MLR vs HBH Team Previews

Melbourne Renegades

There’s no doubt that losing Maddinson for the season is a major blow for the Renegades, but there’s still plenty of batting talent available for the Melbourne squad. Maddinson wasn’t performing up to standards anyway, scoring only three runs in five matches, so the majority of runs will still fall on Aaron Finch’s shoulders.

Finch has been batting incredibly well for Melbourne by scoring 237 runs this season (fourth-best in the BBL), with two notable performances of 70* and 65. Where Finch will get help remains the biggest question, but it’s likely to be from top-order batter, Shaun Marsh, who has been contributing well lately with 95 across three innings.

We’re still waiting for a big game from opening batter, Martin Guptill, who has failed to reach past 32 runs so far this season. As one of the major international signings for the Renegades, Guptill needs to prove his worth for the team ASAP. The news that big hitter Marcus Harris will rejoin the Renegades after his time for Australia is certainly welcome.

There’s a lot to be excited about with regard to the Renegades’ bowling attack, as both Tom Rogers (15 wickets) and Akeal Hosein (12 wickets) are among the top eight bowlers in the entire league. Hosein, especially, has been excellent with a 6.26 ER.

Hobart Hurricanes

The Hurricanes are proving to be one of the hardest teams to predict in the BBL. Their 3-4 record is all over the place and there hasn’t been a consecutive win or loss in their last five games. For example, the huge seven-wicket win over the Strikers was followed by a seven-wicket loss to the Strikers in the next game. Hobart is unpredictable!

Nevertheless, there is still a lot of great batting to be found on the Hurricanes’ roster and the team is the favourite over the Renegades for this reason. Tim David, Caleb Jewell, and Ben McDermott have all been batting consistently well in their last three matches, but watch out for Zak Crawley as well, as the English batsman has joined Hobart and already scored 54 runs.

Bowling could be where the Hurricanes fall flat, as they can give up a lot of runs. Riley Meredith shifts in and out of form, but Patrick Dooley has gone 3/50 in his last two games, so he’s certainly the X-Factor here.