West Indian star Andre Russell has put pen to paper joining the Renegades for BBL|12 over the summer for a second stint in red, bolstering their firepower in the middle order and at the bowling crease.
The all-rounder was overlooked in the draft for availability reasons, but with English star Liam Livingstone now committed to international duties, Russell can now slot in for the opening four games to fill that void.
A household name in World Cricket, Russell is hoping to achieve great things from both a personal standpoint and through team success in his short-lived time playing for the Melbourne-based T20 side.
“I can't wait to be part of the Big Bash League again this summer,” Russell said.
“I'm excited to be back in red and will be doing everything I can to help the Melbourne Renegades start the tournament with a bang.
“I love playing in Australia and I'm looking forward to seeing all the Renegades fans turn out at Marvel Stadium and in Geelong.”
James Rosengarten, Melbourne Renegades General Manager, is "thrilled" to be able to obtain the services of Russell who is an experienced campaigner in the short format and can add his wealth of knowledge to the playing group.
“Andre is one of the best T20 players in the world; he's a proven match-winner and exactly the type of player we need. He adds to our team in all three facets of the game – his ability to clear the boundary, take wickets and make things happen in the field," he said.
“We had positive discussions with Andre throughout the draft process and were always keen to try to get him back in red. With Liam's availability changing after the draft, there was an opportunity to add Andre to our group and we jumped at it.
“Andre pulls people through the gates with the way he plays and to have him available for one home game apiece at Marvel Stadium and GMHBA Stadium is fantastic.
“We know our Renegades members, fans and the wider Victorian cricket community will be eager to come and watch him and the team in action this season.”
The Renegades open their BBL 12 campaign midway through December against the Brisbane Heat, who play host in Cairns before returning home to battle the Sydney Thunder at Marvel Stadium.
BBL|12 Squad: Nic Maddinson (C), Zak Evans, Aaron Finch, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Akeal Hosein, Ruwantha Kellapotha, Liam Livingstone, Shaun Marsh, Jack Prestwidge, Kane Richardson, Corey Rocchiccioli, Tom Rogers, Andre Russell, Will Sutherland, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Jon Wells
