THE Melbourne Renegades are considering a move for evergreen spin bowler Brad Hogg ahead of BBL06 and could potentially offer him a considerable pay hike to leave Perth.

It is understood the franchise is on the hunt for a wrist-spinner, and have discussed luring the uncontracted Hogg — who has spent his entire career in Perth — as a possible frontline option.

The 45-year-old snared six wickets at just 7.03 runs per over during BBL05 for the Perth Scorchers and boasts a career T20 economy of just over 6.5, but is yet to be offered a new deal for BBL06.

Although it is not unusual for Hogg to re-sign just before a BBL tournament, there are added complications this year — notably the Scorchers’ desire to accommodate retired Test star Mitchell Johnson in their already crowded salary cap of $1.4 million.

A BBL club source suggested Johnson would command a figure of at least $125,000 while Hogg could easily demand a six-figure sum but would likely have to settle for around $50-60K at the Scorchers given the squeeze.

Johnson is yet to sign for the BBL and is currently playing for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL. It is expected that the firebrand left-armer will sign a two-year contract with the Scorchers upon returning to Perth.

Brad Hogg celebrates. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

Another obstacle concerns a push from Australian selectors to give more bowling experience to Scorchers’ Ashton Agar, who was selected for the 2016 World T20 as the second spin option despite notching just nine overs during last year’s Big Bash.

James Muirhead, who shot to prominence three years ago as a fresh-faced leg-spinner in Australia’s T20 team, impressed Scorchers’ backroom staff last summer but could not oust Hogg from Justin Langer’s starting XI.

The Renegades had two specialist spinners in BBL05, with offie Nathan Hauritz barely sighted and left arm tweaker Xavier Doherty leaking at an economy nudging nine runs per over.

Hauritz has since retired, while Doherty would be a useful foil for Hogg rather than a first-choice option himself.

The Renegades had Fawad Ahmed on their books two summers ago, but let the leg-spinner slip to Sydney Thunder and missed out on Strikers bowling all-rounder Adam Zampa, who elected to play for cross town rivals Melbourne Stars instead.

It left David Saker’s team without a frontline wrist spinner as the Renegades won just three games for the tournament and missed finals for the third straight season.

“Etihad Stadium is a unique venue where quality spin can play a huge role,” former Strikers coach and Sixers assistant Darren Berry told Foxsports.com.au.

“If the Renegades are going after Hogg then that would be a terrific move for them.”

Kolkata Knight Riders cricketer Brad Hogg. Photo: Dibyangshu Sarkar Source: AFP

One stumbling block if Hogg decides to sign for the Renegades could be his age, with the club wary of a Muttiah Muralitharan type repeat.

The Sri Lankan legend last played for the Renegades as a 42-year-old in early 2014, but his form fluctuated throughout the tournament as he physically struggled to meet the demands of elite cricket.

Although Hogg is 14 months older then Murali, he remains in top physical condition. It’s believed his fitness and ability to back-up game to game would be a consideration rather than a worry for the success-starved Renegades.

The energetic and much-loved trundler has played his entire domestic career in Western Australia since debuting as a middle order batsman in Shield cricket in 1994. The WACA crowd chants his name and he is as iconic in Western Australia as Justin Langer is.

Although the Perth Scorchers and Western Australian teams are perceived as totally separate entities, the reality is both are coached by former Australian opener Langer, who played alongside Hogg for many years.

This is significant because it’s conceivable that Langer could use BBL cricket to develop young players for Shield games, and vice-versa. For example, it would not be ideal for Agar to endure another Big Bash of minimal bowling if Langer needs the Victorian-born spinner to be cherry ripe for the pointy end of the Shield season.

Although it’s believed Hogg is keen to play on with the Scorchers, the Renegades may well make an offer the chinaman bowler cannot refuse with two domestic spots still yet to be filled on their list.

Hogg played seven Tests, 123 one-dayers and 15 T20s for Australia in an international career spanning 18 years.

Only Ben Laughlin (60 wickets at 19.66 for Strikers, Hurricanes) has taken more wickets in BBL history than Hogg (46 at 21.82), who is currently playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.

The writer is on Twitter: @tommorris32