Melbourne Renegades win first WBBL title

Melbourne Renegades Women won their first Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) trophy after beating the two-time champions Brisbane Heat Women in the final of the WBBL 2024-25 by seven runs (DLS method). The Caribbean star Hayley Mattews played a crucial all-round role in her team’s title victory. 

Melbourne Renegades Women and Brisbane Heat Women both finished the WBBL 2024-25 league stage with 14 points each after recording seven wins and three defeats. While the points table leader Renegades directly advanced to the final, thanks to the higher net run rate (0.527), the second placed Heat (net run rate 0.384) had to beat the Knockout winners Sydney Thunder Women in the Challenger to qualify for the final. 

After Heat skipper Jess Jonassen chose to field first, Renegades scored 141/9. When Heat were batting at 19/2 in 3.2 overs, rain interrupted the chasing. Later, Heat had to chase the revised target of 98 runs in 12 overs in the DLS method, and they were restricted to 90/6 in 12 overs. 

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Hayley Matthews scored 69 runs

Opener Hayley Matthews fought hard in the first batting, as her 69 off 61 balls (eight fours) had a massive role in the Renegades' challenging total. Middle-order batters Georgia Wareham (21) and Naomi Stalenberg (16) were the only other batters for the team to manage the double-digit scores. Among the Heat bowlers, Charli Knott (3/28) and Grace Parsons (2/29) claimed multiple wickets.

Hayley Matthews took two wickets in Jess Jonassen's battle

In reply, captain Jess Jonassen fought hard for the revised target, but she didn't get proper support from the other end. While the opener Georgia Redmayne scored 16 runs, she was the second-most run-scorer in that chase. Jonassen scored 44 not out off 28 balls with five fours and one six, while Nicola Hancock had a 22-run partnership with the skipper for the unbroken seventh wicket, but they just fell short of the target.

After scoring a valuable 69 runs, Hayley Matthews took two wickets, as she ended with the bowling figures of 3-0-24-2. While she shined as an all-rounder, she won the Player of the Match award without any doubt.