Will Sutherland held his nerve under immense pressure to seal a dramatic four-wicket win for the Melbourne Renegades over cross-town rivals Melbourne Stars, capping a pulsating Melbourne derby in front of 68,124 fans, the third-largest crowd in BBL history. Chasing 174, the Renegades looked comfortable thanks to a brutal 84 from Josh Brown, only to stumble late before Sutherland launched two towering sixes in the final over off Marcus Stoinis to drag his side over the line with one ball remaining.
Earlier, Brown’s blistering 48-ball innings, packed with power and ruthless intent, set the platform alongside Mohammad Rizwan’s composed 41 as the Renegades cruised to 127 for 1 after 14 overs. But the game flipped sharply when Mitchell Swepson bowled Brown, triggering a collapse of 5 for 34 as Haris Rauf and Peter Siddle prised open the door for the Stars. With 13 needed from the final over, Sutherland swung momentum back instantly, muscling Stoinis back over his head before finishing the job with another thunderous strike to escort the newly-minted “Melbourne Mace” trophy from the MCG.
The Stars’ 173 for 9 had been built on Tom Curran’s late fireworks, a rapid 38 from 18, and Campbell Kellaway’s composed 33 after Gurinder Sandhu (4-41) and the Renegades spinners applied the squeeze. Big-name Stars including Glenn Maxwell, Sam Harper and Stoinis all fell cheaply, blunting the home side’s charge and leaving Curran to salvage a competitive total before being run out in the closing stages.
For the Renegades, the win ends a three-match losing streak and injects fresh belief into their campaign. For the Stars, back-to-back defeats after four straight wins will sting even more given the stage and the stakes. But on a night when Melbourne showed once again why its derby remains the heartbeat of the BBL, it was Sutherland’s fearless finish, and Brown’s blazing statement, that will echo longest around the MCG.
