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 WBBL04 and qualified for finals for the first time in the team's history.

In a "heartbreaking" and "thrilling" semi-final loss at Drummoyne Oval—notable for its "miracle" 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.

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. Sri Lankan Chamari Atapattu was not re-signed for WBBL|04. Former Australian player Kris Britt retired at the end of WBBL|03. Rhiann O'Donnell departed the team and joined the Hobart Hurricanes. 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.

The table below lists the Renegades players and their key stats (including runs scored, batting strike rate, wickets taken, economy rate, catches and stumpings) for the season.

Name Date of birth Batting style Bowling style Notes Batters 27 Jess Duffin 27 June 1989 Right-handed Right-arm leg spin 13 263 108.23 – – 7 – 55 Claire Koski 13 March 1991 Right-handed Right-arm medium fast 13 154 103.35 – – 3 – 9 Anna Lanning 25 March 1994 Right-handed Right-arm medium – – – – – – – 17 Amy Satterthwaite 7 October 1986 Left-handed Right-arm off spin 15 325 101.24 3 7.61 5 –Captain, overseas marquee 11 Courtney Webb 30 November 1999 Right-handed Right-arm medium 12 93 100.00 0 12.00 0 – 28 Danielle Wyatt 22 April 1991 Right-handed Right-arm off spin 14 368 111.51 0 7.33 4 – Overseas marquee All-rounders23 Sophie Molineux 17 January 1998 Left-handed Left-arm orthodox 14 354 114.56 16 6.97 7 – Wicketkeepers19 Emma Inglis 15 July 1988 Right-handed – 14 62 84.93 – – 8 4 15 Erica Kershaw 23 December 1991 Left-handed – 7 80 88.88 – – 1 1 Bowlers 77 Maitlan Brown 5 June 1997 Right-handed Right-arm fast medium 12 59 92.18 9 7.23 6 – 14 Zoe Cooke 17 September 1995 Right-handed Right-arm fast medium – – – – – – – 5 Molly Strano 5 October 1992 Right-handed Right-arm off spin 15 33 76.74 19 6.42 4 – 6 Lea Tahuhu 23 September 1990 Right-handed Right-arm fast 15 12 120.00 14 5.92 2 – Overseas marquee 7 Tayla Vlaeminck 27 October 1998 Right-handed Right-arm fast 6 – – 4 8.16 3 – 32 Georgia Wareham 26 May 1999 Right-handed Right-arm leg spin 15 21 91.30 11 5.90 3 –

Ladder

Fixtures All times are local time

Regular season

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.

Knockout phase

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" 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" and "sport with drama, skill and unpredictability – a potent recipe for success".

Statistics and awards Most runs: Danielle Wyatt – 368 (11th in the league) Highest score in an innings: Sophie Molineux – 78* (54) vs Melbourne Stars, 1 January Most wickets: Molly Strano – 19 (equal 5th in the league) Best bowling figures in an innings: Molly Strano – 4/21 (4 overs) vs Brisbane Heat, 16 December Most catches (fielder): Jess Duffin, Sophie Molineux – 7 (equal 9th in the league) Player of the Match awards: Sophie Molineux – 3 Amy Satterthwaite – 2 Molly Strano, Danielle Wyatt – 1 each Renegades Player of the Season: Sophie Molineux WBBL|04 Player of the Tournament: Sophie Molineux (equal 4th) WBBL|04 Team of the Tournament: Molly Strano, Sophie Molineux (twelfth man) WBBL|04 Young Gun Award: Georgia Wareham (winner)

References