Melbourne Renegades vs Brisbane Heat: Brisbane Heat Predicted XI, Big Bash League (BBL 2020-21)

In the 49th match of the Big Bash League (BBL) 2020- 21, Brisbane Heat will take on Melbourne Renegades on January 23 (Saturday) in Melbourne. This will be the second meeting of the two sides.

Having been beaten badly in the last two matches, Brisbane Heat have slipped to the second last position in the points table. They need to win the match against Melbourne Renegades and also earn the Big Bash boost points to rise through the ranks.

But to enter the playoffs, they need support from Hobart Hurricanes and Sydney Thunder to lose their last matches. Chris Lynn-led Brisbane Heat will hope that the luck will be on their side.

Here, let’s take a look at Brisbane Heat’s predicted XI:

Marnus Labuschangne:

Marnus Labuschagne returned to the Brisbane Heat squad after the conclusion of the four-match Test series against India. He played the first match of the season against Adelaide Strikers, which was the last match of the Brisbane Heat. The right-hand batsman scored 28 off 25 balls before giving away his wicket.

Max Bryant, who was opening for Brisbane Heat, had to make a place for Marnus in the XI. He played the match against Strikers as the x-factor and scored 25 runs off 16 balls.

Chris Lynn (c):

After returning from injury, the skipper Chris Lynn has fired every opposition. He has scored consecutive two fifties. Overall, in eight matches, he has scored 317 runs at the staggering strike rate of 149.52. Currently, he is the highest scorer for his team after playing only seven matches.

Joe Denly:

The English batsman has chipped in times of need. Against Sydney Thunder, he stitched a match-winning partnership with Joe Burns and in the process, registered maiden half-century of the season. Against Melbourne Renegades, he scored 31 runs off 25 balls while chasing 150 runs. However, in the last two matches, he had given significant contributions as Brisbane Heat has ended up losing them.

Joe Burns:

Joe Burns, who is finding his lost confidence in the Test series against India, has not been effective in the last two matches, being out for 2 and 1 respectively. He will look to bounce back against Melbourne Renegades.

Jimmy Peirson (wk):

Jimmy Peirson, who was leading the team in absence of Chris Lynn, hasn’t managed to charge up the innings in the last couple of matches. Against Sydney Sixers, he consumed 18 balls but was out after scoring 16 runs. Brisbane Heat will hope that he replicates the knock as he played against Adelaide Strikers, scoring unbeaten 69 runs in 36 balls.

Lewis Gregory:

The all-rounder Lewis Gregory has given useful contributions with both bat and ball. Being in the lower-middle order, he hasn’t got much time to spend in the middle but has capitalized on the opportunity to accelerate the innings. At the strike rate of 130.76, he has scored 119 runs in nine matches. He has also six wickets in his name and his best figure being 3/22.

Jack Wildermuth:

The fast bowling allrounder Jack Wildermuth’s best has come during his maiden match for Brisbane Heat that was against Sydney Thunders. He went on to play a rocket fueling knock, scoring 31 runs in 11 balls in which he struck four fours. Apart from batting, he was also economical and picked three wickets while gave away only 23 runs in his four overs quota. Brisbane Heat will want him to continue giving them success.

Mark Steketee:

The right-arm pacer Mark Steketee has got the knack of picking wickets but he needs to learn the art of control the run rate. In 11 matches, the 26-year-old pacer has picked up 19 wickets but at the poor economy rate of 8.90. He had leaked 42 runs in his four overs quota in the last match against Adelaide Strikers.

Mitchell Swepson:

Mitchell Swepson has also returned after being released from the Australia national team after the completion of the four-match Test series against India. Against Adelaide Strikers, he went wicketless while expensive, leaking 39 runs in four overs quota.

Xavier Barlett:

Bartlett has given breakthroughs in crucial situations. In 11 matches, he has picked up 10 wickets at the economy rate of 8.00. He notched only one wicket in the last match against Adelaide Strikers. To fulfil Brisbane Heats’ dream to qualify for the playoffs, he needs to pick quick wickets against Melbourne Renegades.

Morne Morkel:

Morne Morkel, who is playing as the local player of Australia, played the maiden match of the Big Bash League against Melbourne Renegades. He picked up one wicket while leaked 29 runs in his four overs. Against Perth Scorchers, he notched the wicket of Colin Munro and Cameron Bancroft while leaked 24 runs in his four overs.