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

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

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

Here, we present our preview and predictions for Match 36 of BBL|15.  

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

The Renegades are on the verge of elimination after registering just three wins in 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 the fourth-placed Sydney Sixers. In terms of what’s in their hands, they can only win their remaining two fixtures and hope for the best, starting with this 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; the Kiwi international has failed to deliver on a consistent basis. While both Oliver Peake and Hassan Khan have done well, 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 Renegades’ bowling attack has also failed to deliver this season. Apart from Gurinder Sandhu, who’s just a level above anybody else at the moment with 18 wickets in eight matches, the rest of their bowlers haven’t been able to pick up regular wickets or stem the flow of runs. After Sandhu, skipper Will Sutherland is their next highest wicket-taker with six scalps, 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, and the Perth Scorchers are now firmly poised to secure play-off qualification once again 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 Scorchers unit. While the likes of Copper Connolly and Finn Allen have got the team 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, has smashed 254 runs in the next four, including a hundred and a fifty, to become the leading run-scorer 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 play-offs, since one or two expensive overs can be the difference in such close contests. Joel Paris leads the wicket-takers’ column with 11 wickets, but no other bowler has yet crossed the ten-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 very little part. In terms of the wicket, the average first-innings score at this venue hovers around the 160–170 mark. That said, the two BBL|15 games played at this venue have been won by the chasing sides, clearly indicating that batting second is the way to go here.

Looking ahead to this fixture, the Melbourne Renegades are hanging on by the thinnest of threads. Losing this match will knock them out, while a win will at least keep them in the race, however slim their chances may remain. The Perth Scorchers, on the other hand, are in a much better position. Victory here will confirm their spot for the play-offs and allow them to settle the score after that narrow loss to the Renegades earlier in the season.

Based on how both teams are playing right now, we’re backing the 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