Melbourne Renegades complete their redemption story, win maiden WBBL title by beating Brisbane Heat in thrilling final

Melbourne Renegades defeated Brisbane Heat by seven runs (via DLS method) in a rain-curtailed WBBL 2024 final at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday, December 1. Hayley Matthews exhibited her all-round skills as the Renegades lifted the coveted title for the first time.

Last season, Renegades finished at the foot of the table in the absence of captain Sophie Molineux as Matthews stepped in to take charge of the side. However, Molineux returned at the helm this season and the Renegades became the team to beat. They finished at the top of the table at the end of the round-robin phase and went on to beat Brisbane Heat, who finished runners-up for the second consecutive season.

After being invited to bat first, the Renegades reached 141/9 at the end of their 20 overs, as Matthews played a gritty knock of 69 runs off 61 balls, hitting eight boundaries in the process. Georgia Wareham (21) and Naomi Stalenberg (16) were the only other batters who reached double-figure scores. Charli Knott was the pick of the bowlers for Brisbane as she finished with figures of 3/28 in her four overs. Brisbane's fielding display was abysmal and it allowed their opposition to score some important runs on a tricky surface.

Jess Jonassen's late blitzkrieg goes in vain

In reply, Brisbane Heat’s chase got off to a disastrous start. Opening batter Grace Harris fell for a duck, and Jemimah Rodrigues soon followed. A rain delay forced the second innings to be reduced to a 12-over affair, with Heat needing to chase down a target of 98 runs.

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Matthews bagged a couple of wickets as Heat were left gasping for air at 37/5 at the end of seven overs. Skipper Jess Jonassen hit five boundaries and a six during her unbeaten knock of 44 off 28 deliveries. However, it wasn't enough to take Brisbane over the line. In the end, the chasing side was restricted to 90/6 in 12 overs.