The Marcus Stoinis-led side will be hosting Will Sutherland & Co. when the Melbourne Stars (STA) take on the Melbourne Renegades (REN) in the Match No. 22 of the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) 2025-26 on Sunday, January 4 at the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The Melbourne Stars have been enjoying a fantastic campaign in the ongoing season, with four wins in five matches. They are also the table-toppers currently. In fact, their only loss thus far came during their previous outing in a last-over thriller against the Brisbane Heat. However, Stoinis & Co. will be regrouping themselves with an aim to return to winning ways in the Melbourne Derby.

The Melbourne Renegades, on the other hand, haven't looked at their best at all in this season. With three losses in four games, the side is desperate for a few positive outcomes, and that is relevant for the upcoming match as well. The Will Sutherland-led team will be eager to play some quality cricket and collect two crucial points to keep themselves in contention for the knockouts.

STA vs REN — Match Details

Match Details	Melbourne Stars vs Melbourne Renegades, Match 22, BBL 2025-26
Date and Time(IST)	Sunday, January 4; 12:35 PM
Venue	Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Broadcast and Live-Streaming	JioStar Network Channel and JioHotstar (App and Website)

Melbourne Cricket Ground — Pitch Report

One of the most iconic cricketing landmarks in the world, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, will be hosting its first BBL match of the season. Out of the 83 matches held here previously, 57 per cent of them have been won by the teams batting second. This is a clear indication that winning the toss and opting to field first is a wise decision on a surface like this. However, teams will also have to be wary of the team combinations and weather conditions to make the final call. Any total above 180 will be tough to chase, though.

STA vs REN — Head-to-Head Record in T20s

Matches Played	28
STA Won	18
REN Won	10
Tied / No Results	0
First-ever fixture	January 7, 2012
Most-recent fixture	January 12, 2025

STA vs REN — Predicted Playing 11s Melbourne Stars

Thomas Fraser Rogers, Sam Harper (wicketkeeper), Campbell Kellaway, Blake Macdonald, Marcus Stoinis (captain), Glenn Maxwell, Hilton Cartwright, Tom Curran, Mitchell Swepson, Haris Rauf, Peter Siddle

Melbourne Renegades

Josh Brown, Tim Seifert, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Jake Fraser-McGurk, Oliver Peake, Matthew Spoors, Hassan Khan, Will Sutherland (captain), Andrew Tye, Gurinder Sandhu, Jason Behrendorff

STA vs REN: Probable Best Performers Probable Best Batter: Sam Harper

Sam Harper is not only keeping wickets for the Stars this season, but also keeping the strike with himself to score plenty of runs. He is the highest run-getter for the Melbourne-based side, while being the second-highest overall. The 29-year-old has already struck 231 runs from only four innings at a mind-boggling average of 115.50.

Probable Best Bowler: Peter Siddle

Peter Siddle is ageing like a fine wine. The former Australia pacer is in no mood to stop despite being in his 40s, and is also the joint-highest wicket-taker for the side, with 10 wickets from five matches at an unbelievable average of 13.60. Siddle's right-arm fast-medium is expected to strike breakthroughs in the match on Sunday as well.

Today Match Prediction: Chasing team to win the match