Aaron Finch´s Melbourne Renegades clinched their first Big Bash League title Sunday after city rivals the Stars imploded during a tense run chase.
Chasing 146 to win at Docklands Stadium, Glenn Maxwell´s men were 93 without loss and cruising before losing an incredible seven wickets for 19 runs.
They finished on 132 for seven, losing the first ever all-Melbourne BBL final by 13 runs at the end of the near two-month tournament.
“It´s unbelievable,” said Finch. “I thought when we got (Ben) Dunk caught and we had two new batters in we had a chance. It´s a wicket that was so hard to chase runs on, that´s why I was happy to bat first.
“The boys just executed well under pressure. Very special to win in front of our home fans,” he added.
After some tight bowling to restrict the Renegades, the Stars signalled their intentions early with left-hander Dunk smacking a boundary off the first ball of the innings from Kane Richardson.
But he and fellow opener Marcus Stoinis weren´t taking any chances, knowing that wickets in hand could be vital in the final overs.
Instead, they picked off runs when they could to keep the scoreboard ticking over coupled with some extravagant shots, including a Dunk six off Cameron Boyce and Stoinis smashing an even bigger one down the ground from the same bowler.
