Melbourne Renegades (MLR) take on Sydney Sixers (SYS) in the 18th match of the Big Bash League at Docklands Stadium, Melbourne, on 1 January 2026, setting the stage for the first game of the New Year. It’s a fresh start on the calendar. The Renegades are searching for momentum after a tough run, while the Sixers are desperate to climb back into the playoff race following early stumbles. Let’s Break down with expert insights, betting tips, team performance, pitch report, and our MLR vs SYS BBL 18th match prediction. Who will win today’s match?
Team Performance
Melbourne Renegades:
The Renegades are coming into this New Year’s Day game against Sydney Sixers needing a win badly after losing twice in a row to Hobart Hurricanes. Their last game wasn’t a complete disaster though—they managed to put up 162/9, and guys like Oliver Peake, Josh Brown, and Tim Seifert all made handy contributions, which shows their batting line-up has some depth to it.
Adam Zampa was the standout with a brilliant 3/25, but he had to leave the field with a neck strain which is a real blow. On the bright side, Fergus O’Neill is back and should add something fresh to the bowling attack. The frustrating thing with the Renegades is they’ve got the quality, you can see it in moments, but they keep falling short when it counts. If they’re serious about getting back on track in this match, they’ve got to work out how to actually finish games off—that’s been their biggest problem.
Sydney Sixers:
The Sixers are under pressure heading into this contest. Sitting fifth on the points table with just one win from four matches, their season hasn’t taken the shape they would have wanted. Their loss against Melbourne Stars highlighted both positives and limitations within their team. Daniel Hughes made another impressive 60 in an unassuming top order innings but his team failed to support his solid batsman ship and scored only 144 runs despite an environment which demanded greater partnerships.
With the ball, the attack lacked control at key moments during their chase of playoff relevance. Most notable was when Kane Richardson was taken apart, allowing Sam Harper to dominate proceedings. If they want to stay relevant in playoff contention and stay relevant themselves against Melbourne Renegades again, they need sharper bowling execution and support for Hughes in their batting order in order to do battle again and remain part of finals racing.
MLR vs SYS | 18th Match | Big Bash League 2025-26
Match: MLR vs SYS | 18th Match | Big Bash League 2025-26
Series: Big Bash League 2025-26
Date: 01/01/2026
Time: 4:00 PM LOCAL, 5:00 AM GMT, 10:30 AM IST
Venue: Docklands Stadium, Melbourne
Streaming: Jio Hotstar and Star Sports Network
MLR vs SYS Today’s Match Weather Condition:
- Temperature: 28.2°C
- Humidity: 37%
- Rain: 0% Rain of chance
- Wind direction: SE
- Wind speed: 14.4KPH
Also, check live BBL betting odds on trusted cricket betting sites.
MLR vs SYS Today’s Match Pitch Report & Toss Factor
The pitch at Docklands Stadium for the tomorrow’s BBL match on January 1, 2026, is a batting-friendly surface where high scores are common. Pacers might get early movement, but conditions generally favour the batsmen and spinners usually struggle. The toss is significant, as teams typically prefer to bowl first and chase the target, with chasing sides having a higher historical win rate of around 56.4% at the venue.
MLR vs SYS – BBL Head-to-Head Records
Total matches played: 19
Melbourne Renegades won: 5
Sydney Sixers won: 14
Tie / No Result: 0
First-Ever BBL Match:
Date: January 2, 2012
Venue: Docklands Stadium
Result: Melbourne Renegades won by 8 wickets
Most Recent BBL Match:
Date: December 16, 2024
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground
Result: Sydney Sixers won by 5 wickets
Player of the Match: Moises Henriques
MLR vs SYS – Probable Playing XI (BBL 18th Match 2025-26)
| Melbourne Renegades Playing XI | Sydney Sixers Playing XI |
|---|---|
| Will Sutherland (C) | Moises Henriques (C) |
| Jason Behrendorff | Daniel Hughes |
| Josh Brown | Babar Azam |
| Jake Fraser-McGurk | Josh Philippe (WK) |
| Caleb Jewell | Jack Edwards |
| Ollie Peake | Jordan Silk |
| Tim Seifert (WK) | Joel Davies |
| Muhammad Rizwan | Ben Dwarshuis |
| Andrew Tye | Sean Abbott |
| Gurinder Sandhu | Kane Richardson |
| Fergus O’Neill | Ben Manenti |
Today match Prediction: Team Chasing are favourites to win today’s BBL 18th Match 2025-26.
Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Sixers – BBL 18th Match Prediction
Scenario 1
Who will win today’s toss: MLR wins the toss and opt to Bowl first.
SYS scores: 160-170
Who will today’s match: MLR win today’s BBL 18th match 2025.
Scenario 2
Who will win today’s toss: SYS wins the toss and opt to bowl first
MLR scores: 165-175
Who will today’s match: SYS win today’s BBL 18th Match 2025.
Today Match Winning Percentage
Today’s cricket betting tips for MLR vs SYS BBL 18th Match 2025-26
- Who will win the toss Today: MLR won the toss and elect to Bowl first.
- Top Batter Performance: Babar Azam
- Top Bowler Performance: Andrew Tye
- Today Cricket betting tips: Team Chasing are safe bet to play today’s BBL 18th match 2025.