Big Bash League: Melbourne Renegades clinch title by 13 runs
Renegades pulled off a stunning 13-run victory against the Stars in all-Melbourne final to clinch the Big Bash League (BBL) title. Chasing 146 runs to win at Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Stars were 93/0 at one stage. But they lost an incredible seven wickets for 19 runs to surrender the tie. Here are the details.
Champions!
Stars fail to cross the line for second time
Stars finished at 132/7 and lost the first ever all-Melbourne BBL final. This was the second time that Melbourne Stars had reached the final of the T20 league. Earlier, they had reached the finale in BBL05, but ended up losing against Sydney Thunder. Renegades defended a modest total of 145 and won the title in their first finale appearance.
How did the captains react?
"It's unbelievable. The boys just executed well under pressure. Very special to win in front of our home fans," said winning captain Aaron Finch. Meanwhile, a gutted Maxwell said, "We played some great cricket this tournament, to fall short at the end is disappointing. Hopefully we win it next year. Congratulations to Renegades, we've had some great tussles."
An epic collapse!
A look at the statistics of the season
Hobart Hurricanes' D'Arcy Short ended as the top run-scorer this season in the BBL (637). He hit six fifties at a strike-rate of 140.61. Melbourne Renegades' fast bowler Kane Richardson ended as the top wicket-taker in BBL08 (24). Callum Ferguson (113*) and Shane Watson (100) were the only two centurions in BBL08 season. Glenn Maxwell ended with the most number of catches (16).
