BBL 2025/26 | Match 36: Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers | Preview and Predictions

Melbourne Renegades will take on Perth Scorchers in Match 36 of the ongoing 2025/26 Big Bash League at Docklands Stadium on 15th January 2026. 

A win against the Renegades will seal playoff qualification for Perth Scorchers as well take them level on points with the Melbourne Stars who sit in second. The Renegades, however, find themselves in a precarious situation where a defeat against the Scorchers would seal their fate as the third team to get eliminated. 

Here, we present our preview and predictions for Match 36 between the Renegades and the Scorchers.  

BBL|15 Match 36: Renegades vs Scorchers | 13:45 IST, January 15, 2026

Melbourne Renegades are on the verge of elimination after registering just three wins in their eight games. A damning defeat against bottom-placed Sydney Thunder has all but sealed their fate unless a miraculous turn of events sees them qualify ahead of the Scorchers or Sydney Sixers in fourth. In terms of what’s in their hands, they can only win their remaining two fixtures and hope for the best, starting with their match against the Scorchers. 

In the batting department, Josh Brown has carried the bulk of the responsibility, scoring 305 runs from eight outings at a strike-rate of 160.52. Tim Seifert has matched his partner at the top – at least in terms of intensity – with the Kiwi international failing to deliver on a consistent basis. Both Oliver Peake and Hassan Khan had done equally well, however, the lack of meaningful contributions from the likes of Jake Fraser-McGurk and Mohammad Rizwan has really hurt them this season. 

Similar to their batting unit, the bowling attack has also failed to deliver this season. Apart from Gurinder Sandhu – who’s just level above anybody else at the moment with 18 wickets in eight matches – the rest of bowlers haven’t been able to pick up regular wickets or stem the flow of runs from one end. After Sandhu, skipper Will Sutherland is their next highest wicket-taker with six, followed by Adam Zampa, Hassan Khan and Jason Behrendorff all tied at five.

Looking at their opponents, that heartbreaking loss to the Melbourne Renegades off the final delivery now seems a distant memory, with the Perth Scorchers now firmly poised to secure yet another playoff qualification if they manage to beat the Renegades in this return fixture. Moreover, with a top-two finish still up for grabs and the Melbourne Stars visiting them in Match 39, this makes it a must-win game for the Scorchers, if they want to finish in the top-two. 

In the batting department, it has been a complete performance from the entire unit. While the likes of Copper Connolly and Finn Allen got the Scorchers off to a solid start, the rest of the batters including the likes of Mitchell Marsh and Aaron Hardie have really stepped up in recent matches. Marsh, after scoring just 25 runs in his first four games, smashed 254 runs in the next four games, including a hundred and a fifty, to become the leading runscorer for the Scorchers with 279 runs.  

However, the same cannot be said for their bowling attack. This is an area where the Scorchers must improve before the playoffs, since one or two expensive overs can be the difference in such close contests. Joel Paris leads the wicket-takers column with 11 wickets, with no other bowler crossing the 10-wicket mark for the season. 

In terms of weather forecast and pitch report, since Docklands Stadium has a closed roof, conditions remain consistent throughout the match, with weather playing no part. In terms of the wicket, the average first innings score at this venue hovers around the 160-170 mark. That said, both the BBL|15 games played at this venue have been won by the side chasing, indicating clearly that batting second is the way to go here.

Looking ahead to this fixture, Melbourne Renegades are hanging on by the thinnest margin. Losing this match will knock them out of contention for the next phase, whereas winning would at least keep them in the race, however slim that chance might be. Perth Scorchers on the other hand are in a much better position. Victory here would confirm their spot for the playoffs and also allow them to settle the score after that narrow loss to the Renegades earlier. Thus, based on how both teams are playing right now, we’re backing the Perth Scorchers to win this one. 

Fantasy XI: Tim Seifert, Mitchell Marsh (c), Josh Brown, Finn Allen, Josh Inglis, Hassan Khan, Aaron Hardie (vc), Jhye Richardson, Gurinder Sandhu, David Payne, Adam Zampa, Mahli Beardman 

Venue: Docklands Stadium, Melbourne 

Winners Prediction: Perth Scorchers