Confirmed signing announced 9 October; checked 12 October 2026. Melbourne Renegades have signed Ben Manenti on a two-year deal that runs through BBL|17. The move from Sydney Sixers adds an off-spinning all-rounder ahead of the 2026–27 Big Bash season, which the Renegades are due to begin in Chennai.
The club’s announcement is the contract evidence. Recent performances explain why the signing is interesting, but they do not guarantee Manenti a place in Melbourne’s opening XI. The Renegades have not announced that team in the material reviewed.
Manenti’s Italy World Cup performances add an Indian connection
Manenti was Italy’s leading scorer at their maiden men’s T20 World Cup earlier in 2026, making 138 runs in three innings. Cricket Australia also records five wickets in Italy’s four matches, the team’s second-highest wicket tally.
For Indian readers, his innings at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens is the most recognisable part of that campaign. Manenti hit 60 from 25 balls against England, including six sixes and four fours. Italy still lost by 24 runs, so the innings should be remembered as a counterattack rather than an upset victory.
He also made a 29-ball half-century against Scotland and took 2/9 against Nepal in Italy’s first cricket World Cup win. Those figures show contributions in both disciplines. They are international tournament performances, not runs or wickets already scored for the Renegades.
A maiden Shield hundred arrives with the signing
On 9 October, the same day as the announcement, Manenti made his maiden first-class century for South Australia against Victoria. Cricket Australia reports that he reached his hundred in 112 balls and finished with 128, helping push his side’s first innings beyond 500.
The distinction matters: 112 balls is the milestone’s ball count, not a verified ball count for the full 128-run innings. His performance adds recent batting evidence to the move, while the Sheffield Shield’s four-day format remains different from the BBL’s 20-over demands.
Renegades coach Luke Ronchi praised Manenti’s competitiveness and flexibility with bat and ball in the official coverage. That is an assessment of his fit for the squad, not confirmation of a batting position or selection for a particular fixture.
What Manenti could add to the Renegades squad
The Renegades will be Manenti’s third BBL club after his previous spells with the Sixers and Adelaide Strikers. Cricket Australia describes much of his earlier work as spin cover. The new opportunity comes after Adam Zampa’s move to Hobart Hurricanes.
CricWin24 analysis: that opening makes the spin role worth watching, but competition remains. Cricket Australia also lists Callum Stow, Michael Archer and Michael Bracewell as spin options. Manenti’s batting gives Ronchi another way to balance the side; it does not remove the need for a match-day selection decision.
Our Michael Bracewell signing report explains another part of that rebuilding. The BBL squad guide is explicitly dated, so its older roster snapshot should not be mistaken for a list already incorporating every later signing.
Chennai opener offers a return to familiar surroundings
The Renegades are scheduled to meet defending champions Perth Scorchers in Chennai on 12 December. In Cricket Australia’s report, Manenti said he had played there with Italy during the World Cup and looked forward to returning. That supplies a direct Indian connection to the signing without implying he has already been selected for the opener.
The BBL 2026–27 fixture guide provides the wider season context. For later squad announcements and availability developments, use the BBL news desk. The confirmed development here remains the two-season contract announced on 9 October; future appearances still depend on availability and selection.
