Melbourne Stars will take on local rivals Melbourne Renegades in Match 22 of the ongoing 2025/26 Big Bash League at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 4th January 2026. 

After winning four games on the bounce, Melbourne Stars fell short in their last outing but still sit pretty at the top of the table, while their city rivals sit in seventh place after winning just one of their first four games. 

Here, we present our preview and predictions for Match 22 between the Stars and the Renegades. 

BBL|15 Match 22: Stars vs Renegades | 12:35 IST, January 4, 2026

Melbourne Stars have flying out of the blocks with four straight victories and before a narrow defeat against the Brisbane Heat halted their unbeaten run. Thus, the focus must now turns to an immediate response to keep their place inside the top two intact with both Hobart Hurricanes and Perth Scorchers in close proximity. 

The Stars’ batting order has clicked right away this tournament from the get go. Sam Harper at the top of the order has been in exceptional form with 231 runs in five outings while striking at 158. Both Joe Clarke and Campbell Kellaway have made decent contributions while the middle order has started firing with Glenn Maxwell now joining Marcus Stoinis and Hilton Cartwright with his power hitting. 

Despite failing to restrict the Heat in their last match, the bowling unit has been their main difference maker this season. Strike bowlers Peter Siddle and Haris Rauf already shared an imposing 20 wickets between them so far while variation specialists Tom Curran and Marcus Stoinis aren’t far behind with 17 wickets shared between them. 

Melbourne Renegades on the other hand are beginning to feel the heat after a sluggish beginning, with just one win and three defeats pushing them to seventh place on the table. The margin for error has narrowed fast, and a dramatic shift is required if they aspire to keep themselves within touching distance of the playoff spots. 

In the batting department, Tim Seifert has carried most of the run-scoring burden so far, scoring 170 runs from four innings at a strike rate of 175.25. Apart from the kiwi wicket-keeper, Oliver Peake has also made his presence felt, accumulating 113 runs in four outings while batting at a strike-rate of 145. Furthermore, both Josh Brown and Jake Fraser-McGurk have shown flashes of brilliance, that said, they need the rest of the batting attack to start firing soon before it’s too late. 

In the bowling attack, Gurinder Sandhu has been their most consistent performer with Jason Behrendorff and Will Sutherland providing ample support, however, others have struggled to sustain pressure for long stretches against opposing batting lineups. 

In terms of weather forecast and pitch report, conditions in Melbourne will be hot and humid, but there’s no threat of rain. However, given the sheer size of the outfield and nature of the MCG wicket, seamers will find some assistance early on before the batters aclimatise and start using the dimensions to their advantage. Moreover, chasing has worked out well in past T20s at the MCG, including the first game of BBL 15, so expect the teams to bowl first after winning the toss. 

Looking ahead to this fixture, Melbourne Stars will look to get back to winning ways against Melbourne Renegades, who have failed to string together any sort of consistency in this tournament. Thus, barring a major turnaround from the Renegades’ batting unit, we’re tipping the Stars to get the job done, considering how they’ve been performing over the past few weeks.

Fantasy XI: Sam Harper (vc), Campbell Kellaway, Tim Seifert, Oliver Peake, Marcus Stoinis (c), Will Sutherland, Tom Curran, Andrew Tye, Haris Rauf, Peter Siddle, Gurinder Sandhu

Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne 

Winners Prediction: Melbourne Stars