Adelaide Strikers 4 for 120 (Devine 72*, Brown 2-15) beat Melbourne Renegades 7 for 117 (Duffin 44, Taylor 3-26) by six wickets
A sublime all-round display from New Zealand's Sophie Devine helped Adelaide Strikers to a win against Melbourne Renegades in their opening WBBL fixture at Karen Rolton Oval.
Devine made 72 not out from just 45 balls to single-handedly run down the Renegades target of 118 after earlier delivering four overs for just 16 runs and picking up the key wicket of Renegades skipper Jess Duffin.
Strikers elected to bowl first and it paid off immediately with their star-studded attack claiming four wickets in the Powerplay. Devine tied up an end as Megan Schutt and Stafanie Taylor tore through the Renegades' talented top-order.
Dani Wyatt was sent back by Schutt after absorbing six dot balls, and he fast bowler then took a superb caught and bowled two balls later to dismiss Sophie Molineux. Taylor picked up Claire Koski and Tammy Beaumont in the last over of the Powerplay to leave the Renegades at 4 for 21. Renegades never really recovered despite the best efforts of Duffin. She made 44 off 32 with five boundaries but Josie Dooley was the only other player to reach 20 as they limped to 7 for 117 from their 20 overs.
Strikers' chase did not start well with Lea Tahuhu dismissing Suzie Bates and Tahlia McGrath in the second over to leave the home side 2 for 4. That become 3 for 32 in the 5th over when Bridget Patterson was bowled by a brilliant inswinging yorker from Maitlan Brown.
But Devine took control, while Taylor provided a steady hand from the other end in a 62-run stand. The Renegades could not contain Devine's power as she struck six fours and four sixes to see her side home with 28 balls and six wickets to spare.