Recently dropped from New Zealand central contracts, Martin Guptill will be turning up for Melbourne Renegades in the upcoming Big Bash League. The 36-year-old played his last ODI match against Australia in September and failed to make the cut for the T20 World Cup. Nevertheless, the modern-day Kiwi opener will be available for the entire Big Bash season where he will be replacing Liam Livingstone at Melbourne Renegades.
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The England cricketer had to pull out after his surprise inclusion in the Test side for the Pakistan tour. Guptill will link up with the Renegades following Andre Russell’s four-game stint at the beginning of the tournament, and will be available for the following 10 leagues matches, starting December 28 against Sydney Sixers.
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“I’m excited to be joining the Renegades and am looking forward to being part of the Big Bash this season,” Guptill said. “This is a new challenge for me and it will be nice to call Melbourne home for the summer. I’ll be trying to make as many runs as I can to help drive the Renegades back up the ladder and push for team success.
“I’ve crossed paths with a few of the guys over the years on the international circuit and know this will be a great team environment to be part of. I can’t wait to join up with the team after Christmas and play in front of plenty of Renegades fans at Marvel Stadium and in Geelong,” he added.
Guptill’s only appearance in the BBL before was a one-off game for Sydney Thunder 10 seasons ago.
“We’re delighted to have a player of Martin’s calibre joining the Renegades and we’re excited that he has chosen to play for our club,” Melbourne Renegades General Manager, James Rosengarten, said.
“Martin’s record over a long period of time in the shortest form of the game for New Zealand and in domestic competitions around the world speaks for itself. We know Martin will add a wealth of experience and knowledge to our playing group and look forward to seeing what he can produce in red.
“Signing Martin and Andre over the past month has been a great outcome for our club. With Andre playing the first four matches and Martin joining us from there, we now have a world-class player available for the duration of the tournament which will help give us every chance of success in BBL|12.”
The Renegades kick off their campaign on December 15 against the Brisbane Heat in Cairns, before hosting the Sydney Thunder at Marvel Stadium on December 18.
Melbourne Renegades squad (so far):Nic Maddinson (C), Zak Evans, Aaron Finch, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Martin Guptill*, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Akeal Hosein*, Ruwantha Kellapotha*, Shaun Marsh, Jack Prestwidge, Kane Richardson, Corey Rocchiccioli, Tom Rogers, Andre Russell*, Will Sutherland, Mujeeb Ur Rahman*, Jon Wells
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