Perry and Gardner Have 428 Runs Between Them: Can the Renegades Find a Way to Stop the Unbeaten Sixers?
Sydney Sixers have won all four games and sit second only on net run rate. Melbourne Renegades lost their first two and have won the two since, the last of them by 36 runs on this ground. This is the first of two games in a row between these sides, and the Renegades may need to land a blow early.
Sydney Sixers — two great players, playing at their best
Not every unbeaten run looks the same. The Sixers have won one game by 87 runs and two by the narrowest of margins: off the last ball against the Heat, and by one run against the Stars here at Junction Oval six days ago. That tells you two things. They can blow a side away, and they can also hold their nerve when a game gets tight. Four wins from four, eight points, and second in the table only because the Scorchers have a better net run rate.
Most of it has come from two players. Ellyse Perry has made 58, 3, 84 not out and 59 not out, which is 204 runs for twice out. Her 84 off 57 against the Stars, on this ground, was the innings that won a one-run game. Ash Gardner has 224 runs, including 124 off 60 against the Hurricanes and 64 not out off 25 against the Thunder on Sunday, and she has taken eight wickets as well. When one of them fails, the other has usually made up for it.
The bowling has backed them up. Caoimhe Bray took 4 for 28 against the Thunder and has seven wickets, and Amelia Kerr has four. A possible XI, based on Sunday's side: Sophie Dunkley, Perry, Kerr, Gardner, Alice Capsey, Erin Burns, E Ragg, Lauren Cheatle, Bray, Sarah Coyte, F Nicklin. There seems little reason to change a winning side.
Melbourne Renegades — the batting has woken up
The Renegades started badly. They made 138 for 9 against the Thunder and lost by six wickets, and then 136 for 6 against the Scorchers at the WACA, where they lost by nine wickets. Since then something has changed. They chased 155 against the Hurricanes with one ball to spare, and on Saturday, here at Junction Oval, they made 188 for 3 and beat the Strikers by 36 runs. Two wins from four has them fifth, on four points.
Georgia Wareham is their leading run-scorer, with 175 runs, and her 73 not out off 31 balls on Saturday was the best innings of their season. Hayley Matthews has 160 runs at the top, including 59 off 44 to win the Hurricanes game, and Courtney Webb made 52 not out on Saturday. Sophie Molineux took 4 for 22 against the Hurricanes, and Tayla Vlaeminck has five wickets, with 2 for 16 on Saturday.
A possible XI, based on Saturday's side: O Porter, Matthews, Webb, Molineux, Wareham, Nicole Faltum, Deandra Dottin, Chloe Tryon, Tess Flintoff, Milly Illingworth, Vlaeminck. The Renegades may keep the same side after a win like Saturday's, but that is a guess.
The table and the form
| Sydney Sixers | 2nd — P4 W4 L0, 8 pts, NRR +1.316 |
| Melbourne Renegades | 5th — P4 W2 L2, 4 pts, NRR -0.555 |
| Ellyse Perry | 204 runs: 58, 3, 84*, 59* |
| Ash Gardner | 224 runs, 8 wickets |
| Georgia Wareham | 175 runs, incl. 73* off 31 v Strikers |
| Hayley Matthews | 160 runs |
| Sixers at Junction Oval (Nov 6) | 160/5 beat Stars 159/7 by 1 run |
Table as of Monday, November 9; the Tuesday and Wednesday games may change the positions.
Pitch and conditions
This is the second game of the day at Junction Oval, so the pitch will already have seen 40 overs by the time the Renegades and Sixers start at 7:10 PM. That may make it a little slower and help the spinners, which suits Molineux and Wareham, and on the other side Gardner and Kerr. The ground has seen big totals this season, 192 for 4 and 188 for 3, but also low ones, and the side batting first has won four of the five games played here. Both teams have won here already, the Renegades on Saturday and the Sixers last Friday, so neither will feel like a visitor. A total around 160 may be a fair one under the lights.
The match-up that may decide it
Perry against Vlaeminck with the new ball. Perry has not been dismissed in her last two innings, and she likes to bat long and let Gardner play around her. Vlaeminck's pace is the Renegades' best chance of an early wicket. If Perry is still there after ten overs, the Sixers will probably make 160 or more. At the other end, Matthews against Bray and Cheatle is just as important, because when Matthews gets going, the Renegades' innings tends to go with her.
The verdict
The Sixers are unbeaten, have two of the best players in the competition in great form, and have already won a tight game on this ground. That is why we lean towards them, with some confidence. But the Renegades looked a much better side on Saturday, and if Matthews and Wareham bat the way they did against the Strikers, the Sixers could well face their first real test of the season. With these sides meeting again in the next game, the first result may set the tone for both. Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Sixers, WBBL 2026, Junction Oval — Thursday, November 12, 7:10 PM AEDT / 1:40 PM IST.