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Despite having one more season left on his contract, Melbourne Renegades are planning to part ways with BBL coach David Saker following yet another disappointing season in which they placed seventh.
Saker, who took over in 2021, was under contract to coach the Renegades for the 2024–25 season. This would have been his fourth season in that role. But with Saker’s contract about to expire early, it is understood that Renegades will look for a fresh start once more after a disastrous season in which they came second lowest, won just two games, and also fired their captain, Nic Maddinson.
The Renegades, who were led by Andrew McDonald to their first-ever BBL championship in 2018–19, have been the lowest-performing team in the league. After winning the title, McDonald resigned from his position and went on to serve as an assistant coach for the Australian team before taking over as head coach in 2022.
After leading the Renegades to consecutive BBL bottom finishes in their two seasons as coach, Michael Klinger left the position after just two summers in 2019–20. Klinger left to join Cricket New South Wales in an administrative capacity.
Saker joined the team in 2021–22, but the Renegades finished last for three consecutive years until rebounding to finish third in 2022–23. They won seven games, hosted the Knockout, and lost to the eventual finals, Brisbane Heat.
However, the Renegades fell back in 2023–2024. They only managed to win two of their final five games after going winless in their opening five. They had a lot of player turnover; Aaron Finch came and went from the team before ending his BBL career, and Maddinson was removed as captain. Due to injury concerns, Shaun Marsh was only able to play in five games before declaring his retirement.
In addition, Renegades is looking to name a new high performance manager to take charge of the cricket programme. A comparable post has been advertised by Melbourne Stars. Having operated as three distinct organisations with little relationship in the past, Cricket Victoria established the two roles in an attempt to strengthen the bond between the two Victoria BBL clubs and the Victoria men’s programme.