The 2018–19 Melbourne Renegades Women's season was the fourth in the team's history. Coached by Tim Coyle and captained by Amy Satterthwaite, they finished fourth in the regular season of WBBL|04 and qualified for finals for the first time in the team's history.[1]
In a "heartbreaking"[2] and "thrilling"[3] semi-final loss at Drummoyne Oval—notable for its "miracle"[4] last-ball finish, resulting in the run out of Sophie Molineux and forcing a super over—the Renegades were knocked out of the tournament by the defending champions, the Sydney Sixers.
Squad
Each 2018–19 squad featured 15 active players, with an allowance of up to five marquee signings including a maximum of three from overseas. Under a new rule, Australian marquees were classed as players who held a national women's team contract at the time of signing on for their WBBL|04 team.[5]
Personnel changes for the Renegades ahead of the season included:
England's Danielle Wyatt returned to the squad, having played in the first two seasons before missing WBBL|03.
Although a permanent resident in Australia, Hayley Jensen would no longer be classified as a local player due to earning re-selection for her native New Zealand during 2018. The Renegades chose not to sign her as an overseas marquee, therefore excluding her from the squad. She would go on to be contracted by the Perth Scorchers as a marquee replacement later in the season.[6][7][8]
Brisbane Heat won by 21 runs Geelong Cricket Ground, Geelong Umpires: Greg Azzopardi and Daryl Brigham Player of the match: Molly Strano (Melbourne Renegades)
Melbourne Renegades won the toss and elected to field
The Renegades recorded the second one-wicket victory in the league's history when Lea Tahuhu, a fast bowler not known for her batting ability, hit the winning single off leg spinning Stars captain Kristen Beams with just one ball to spare. Courtney Webb, on 21 not out, was the set batter at the non-striker's end.[13][14]
Ellyse Perry became the first player to score 700 runs in a WBBL season
In the Renegades' first finals appearance, with three runs required off the last ball for an upset victory, Sophie Molineux was short of her ground attempting the winning run due to a "miracle"[4] piece of team fielding by Sixers players Erin Burns, Sarah Aley and Alyssa Healy. In the resulting super over, Sixers captain Ellyse Perry hit a six off Molly Strano to eliminate the Renegades from the tournament. The match, in conjunction with the other semi-final played earlier in the day, was hailed as a showcase of "the irrefutable rise of women's cricket"[17] and "sport with drama, skill and unpredictability – a potent recipe for success".[18]