Melbourne Renegades won the rain-curtailed WBBL 2024 final against Brisbane Heat by seven runs through the DLS method at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, December 1. Hayley Matthews made it a true all-round display as the Renegades won their first coveted title. Last year, without captain Sophie Molineux, the Renegades ended last season at the bottom of the table after Matthews had taken over as captain. This year though, Sophie Molineux returned at the helm of affairs, and, sure enough, the Renegades turned out to be the team to beat. The Renegades topped the table at the end of the round-robin and went on to beat Brisbane Heat, who again were runners-up for the second successive year. Also Read | 'He's really got to find a way to turn it around,'- Ricky Ponting Remarks on Labuschagne Bad Form After batting first, the Renegades scored 141/9 at the end of 20 overs, as Matthews played a brilliant knock of 69 runs off 61 balls, with the help of eight boundaries. Georgia Wareham (21) and Naomi Stalenberg (16) were the only other batters who went to double-figure scores. Charli Knott was Brisbane's pick of the bowlers, as she finished with figures of 3/28 in her four overs. Brisbane Heat's chase was off to a disastrous start. Opening batter Grace Harris fell for a duck, and Jemimah Rodrigues followed soon after. The second inning was reduced to a 12-over affair due to a rain delay, with Heat needing to chase down a target of 98 runs. Matthew picked a couple of wickets as Heat struggled to breathe at 37/5 after seven overs. Skipper Jess Jonassen scored five boundaries and a six during her unbeaten knock of 44 off 28 deliveries. Still, that wasn't enough to take Brisbane home. The chasing side could muster only 90/6 in 12 overs in the end.
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