The defending champions kick off 2023 with a fourth victory in a row while the Renegades face losing their captain Nic Maddinson after a fourth straight defeat
Melbourne: Melbourne Renegades 155-6, Perth Scorchers 156-5 - Perth Scorchers won by five wickets
Perth Scorchers kicked off the new year with a comfortable victory over Melbourne Renegades at Marvel Stadium.
Josh Inglis hit 47 and Cameron Bancroft added 46 as Scorchers chased down their target of 156 with two balls and five wickets in hand.
Renegades were never really a threat in the contest from the moment they slumped to 9 for 2 in the second over.
It was a bad day for Nic Maddinson (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
That included Jason Behrendorff dismissing captain Nic Maddinson for a golden duck.
Aaron Finch struck 65 from 48 balls and put on handy partnerships with Jonathan Wells (22), Mackenzie Harvey (16) and Will Sutherland (14 not out).
Akeal Hosein (15 not out) hit two late sixes, including off the final ball from Jhye Richardson, as Renegades scrambled to 155 for 6.
Though Adam Lyth (2) departed in the third over, Faf du Plessis and Bancroft put on 57 for the second wicket.
Cameron Bancroft crushes one of his five boundaries (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
Renegades suffered an early blow in the chase when Maddinson was forced from the field after twisting his knee while fielding off the seventh ball of the chase.
Scorchers continued to build momentum and though Bancroft was run out by Sutherland, Inglis, fresh from his two dismissals, kept his cool with three successive fours off Tom Rogers to reduce the chase to 13 off 12.
He was dismissed - trapped lbw by Sutherland - with the scores level and three balls remaining but Nick Hobson got the job done to make it four in a row for Scorchers.
Renegades must now consider four straight defeats over the festival period while Scorchers look in ominous form as the group stage nears the mid-way point.
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