Perth Scorchers 184 for 5 (Devine 40, Darke 36, Wong 2-34) beat Melbourne Renegades 154 for 9 (Wareham 43, Faltum 28, Devine 4-25, King 2-29) by 30 runs

A devastating all-round performance from captain Sophie Devine powered Perth Scorchers to a crucial 30-run win against Melbourne Renegades at the WACA in Perth.

After top-scoring with a breezy 40 off 28 in Scorchers' 184 for 5, Devine backed it up with the ball by snaring 4 for 25 as Renegades limped to 9-154. The Renegades' chase started on the wrong foot at 2 for 2, then 34 for 4, ensuring they were already out of contention and Scorchers would celebrate in front of their home crowd.

To win, the reigning champions would have needed to pull off the joint third-highest run chase in the history of the tournament.

After the early carnage, wicketkeeper Nicole Faltum (28) and Georgia Wareham (43) attempted to steady the Renegades. But their 55-run stand ended as Faltum and Wareham both fell to star Scorchers spinner Alana King. Devine, who recently ended her glorious ODI career for New Zealand, showed she is still a major weapon in T20s, 19 years after making her international debut.

It was the 36-year-old's second fourth-wicket haul in the WBBL, falling short of her best figures (5 for 41).

Earlier, Devine combined for a 69-run stand with Maddy Darke (36) to put the pressure on the Renegades' stacked bowling attack. King made an important cameo at the end, whacking 22 from eight balls to take Scorchers into territory Renegades would struggle to chase down.

The result led to the Scorchers jumping from sixth into third on the points table, with just one match remaining. Renegades, meanwhile, slumped to sixth position.

If they are to be any chance of backing up last year's title triumph, Renegades will need to defeat the in-form Sydney Sixers in their final match of the tournament on Friday. Scorchers should be able to book a finals spot, with their last match against the struggling Brisbane Heat back in Perth on Saturday night.