Renegades clinch Derby courtesy Brown's power-hitting masterclass

Melbourne Stars vs Melbourne Renegades

Josh Brown's scintillating 84 off 48 balls powered Melbourne Renegades to a much-needed four-wicket victory in the Melbourne derby, helping the Renegades snap their three-match losing streak.

Chasing 174, Brown delivered a masterclass in aggressive batting, smashing nine fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 175 to set up the chase. His 103-run partnership with Mohammad Rizwan (41 off 38) proved decisive as the Renegades overhauled the target with just one ball to spare.

Earlier, the Stars had stuttered to 173/9 despite Tom Curran's blistering late cameo of 38 off 18 balls. After winning the toss and opting to bowl, the Renegades struck early through Gurinder Sandhu, who finished with figures of 4/41, consistently troubling the Stars' batting lineup. Sam Harper (20 off 10) and Thomas Rogers (15 off 13) gave the Stars a decent start before Sandhu removed Harper in the third over. The home side never quite got going as wickets fell at regular intervals - Maxwell departed for just 1, while captain Stoinis could only manage 16.

Campbell Kellaway's patient 33 off 27 and Hilton Cartwright's 28 off 19 provided some stability, but it was Curran's late assault - featuring 5 fours and 2 sixes - that propelled the Stars to a competitive total. Debutant Callum Stow impressed with 2/24 from his four overs.

Haris Rauf removed Tim Seifert for 6 in the third over of the chase. However, Brown unleashed a counter-attack, reaching his fifty off just 30 balls. He found an able ally in Rizwan as the pair took control of the middle overs. Renegades were cruising at one stage with Josh Brown playing superbly for his 84 off just 48 balls. They needed just 46 off six overs when he was dismissed and there were still eight wickets in hand. But his dismissal by Mitchell Swepson sparked a dramatic turnaround with Stars roaring back into the contest with 4 wickets for just 21 runs.

But Renegades captain Will Sutherland delivered the goods in the final over with a couple of cracking sixes to get them over the line. For the Stars, it was a second consecutive defeat after four straight wins to begin the season.

Brief scores:Melbourne Stars 173/9 in 20 overs (Tom Curran 38, Campbell Kellaway 33; Gurinder Sandhu 4-41) lost to Melbourne Renegades 177/6 in 19.5 overs (Josh Brown 84, Mohammad Rizwan 41; Peter Siddle 2-39) by four wickets

Perth Scorchers vs Adelaide Strikers

Lloyd Pope and Tabraiz Shamsi spun a web around the Perth Scorchers before Joel Paris' all-round brilliance secured a comprehensive 33-run victory over Adelaide Strikers at Perth Stadium on Sunday, propelling the hosts into second place on the BBL table with their third consecutive win.

After being sent in, the Scorchers made a solid start through Mitchell Marsh (37 off 33) and Sam Fanning (31 off 24), who put on 72 for the first wicket off just 55 balls. Marsh struck five fours and a six before Shamsi changed the game in the 10th over, dismissing both set batsmen within four balls. Marsh mistimed a pull to long-on, while Cooper Connolly fell for a three-ball duck, slicing to backward point where Luke Wood took a diving catch.

Pope immediately struck, removing Fanning to leave the Scorchers reeling at 74/3. The leg-spinner was excellent, finishing with exceptional figures of 4/23. His googly bamboozled the middle order, claiming Aaron Hardie (bowled for 9), Joel Curtis (caught behind for 1), and Nick Hobson (caught at midwicket for 5). Shamsi complemented Pope beautifully with 3/30 as the Scorchers stumbled to 119/7. However, Paris changed the momentum with an aggressive cameo of 20 not out from 14 balls, including two crucial sixes, dragging his side to 153/8.

The Strikers' chase collapsed immediately when Chris Lynn perched a simple catch to Turner off Cooper Connolly in the first over. Captain Matthew Short tried to rally with an aggressive 31 off 21 balls, but once he fell to Turner at long-off in the sixth over, the innings imploded.

Turner struck twice in three balls, first removing Short and then bowling Jason Sangha for a duck in bizarre fashion-the ball clipped Sangha's glove on an attempted reverse paddle and trickled back onto the stumps. Ashton Agar trapped Mackenzie Harvey to reduce the visitors to 48/4 within the powerplay.

Liam Scott (33 off 28) offered brief resistance, but Paris broke the partnership by having Harry Manenti caught at mid-off. From 86/5, the Strikers lost their last six wickets for just 34 runs as Paris claimed 3/22, removing Manenti, Jerrssis Wadia, and Luke Wood in quick succession. Aaron Hardie wrapped up the innings with 2/10, bowling Pope to complete a dominant performance.

The comprehensive victory extended the Scorchers' winning streak and saw them leapfrog Melbourne Stars into second place.

Brief Scores: Perth Scorchers 153/8 in 20 overs (Mitchell Marsh 37, Sam Fanning 31; Lloyd Pope 4/23, Tabraiz Shamsi 3/30) beat Adelaide Strikers 120 in 18.1 overs (Liam Scott 33, Matthew Short 31; Joel Paris 3/22, Ashton Turner 2/1) by 33 runs