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Melbourne Stars v Melbourne Renegades: Big Bash Saturday preview

There's a massive Big Bash League Melbourne derby on the schedule at the MCG on Saturday evening when the Stars go toe-to-toe with the Renegades.

The Stars go into the game boosted by winning for the first time this season, against reigning BBL champions Brisbane Heat, while the Renegades were beaten by five wickets by Adeliade Strikers as recently as Thursday.

The Stars are still bottom of the ladder despite their New Year's Day success, while the Renegades have two wins and three defeats on their record so far this season.

And it is the Stars who have enjoyed the better of this rivalry, winning 16 and losing 10, although the Renegades have won three of the last four meetings of these local rivals.

Melbourne Stars v Melbourne Renegades

Melbourne Stars v Melbourne Renegades betting preview

Lawrence sparkles on Stars return

England batter Dan Lawrence stepped in for injured compatriot Tom Curran against the Heat and made a superb 64 not out from just 38 balls faced to lead the Stars to victory with 11 balls to spare.

His fourth-wicket partnership of 132 with skipper Marcus Stoinis was key to the victory charge, after the Stars' top order had been blown away as they were reduced to 3-14.

Lawrence is 1.72 to score 20+ runs at the MCG on Saturday, while his fellow Englishman Ben Duckett is 2.25 to score more than 30 runs.

Baggy Greens all-rounder Stoinis made runs at just the right time for his side, but Glenn Maxwell continues to struggle, being dismissed for a golden duck against the Heat to make his tally 53 runs from four innings.

The Stars are still without Hamish McKenzie (side) and Curran (calf) due to injury, while Scott Boland and Beau Webster are away playing for Australia in the fifth Test against India.

Meanwhile, left-arm spinner Douglas Warren has been drafted in in place of seamer Brody Couch.

Gades need more from youngsters

The Renegades looked like they were heading in the right direction after winning back-to-back games against Hobart Hurricanes and Perth Scorchers, only for consecutive losses to Sydney Thunder and the Strikers to blunt their momentum.

Like the Stars, their top-order batting has struggled to make an impact, with a mere two 50s registered in total so far this season, including 66 from 41 balls from Josh Brown last time out.

Jake Fraser-McGurk is clearly one of Australia's top batting talents, but so far this season he has managed just 55 runs from five innings, while England tyro Jacob Bethell has 56 runs from four knocks.

Both players have also been limited to strike-rates of just over 100 and the Renegades will need more if they are to challenge as the season progresses.

Fraser-McGurk is 9.50 to respond with a Player of the Match performance on Saturday, while he is 1.90 to score 20+ runs at the MCG.

The Gades have made just one change to their squad for this derby, with Xavier Crone taking the place of Fergus O'Neill.

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Melbourne Stars v Melbourne Renegades odds

Melbourne Stars - 1.87
Melbourne Renegades -
1.95

View the full market and more odds for Melbourne Stars v Melbourne Renegades on site

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.

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