MELBOURNE: Big Bash League outfit Melbourne Renegades on Thursday announced the signing of reigning BBL champion batter Josh Brown.

The 30-year-old has become a hot prospect over the past two seasons. He played a pivotal role for the Brisbane Heat as he helped them reach two consecutive finals and helped them lift the last one.

With a knock of 53, he produced a match-winning performance for the Heat in the final against the Sydney Sixers.

In 23 matches, the Australian batter has struck 624 runs at an average of 27.13 and at an impressive strike rate of 149.64.

"I've enjoyed my time with the Heat, they gave me my opportunity, for which I'll always be grateful and have cherished memories, including winning a BBL Championship last season," Brown said in a statement released by the BBL franchise.

"But I am extremely excited for a new challenge and hopefully achieve the same success with the Renegades. It's a young group with a lot of talent and firepower, especially in that batting group. I can't wait to partner with the likes of (Jake) Fraser-McGurk and (Will) Sutherland and see what we can do," he added.

Brown established himself as one of the top power hitters in the BBL when he bludgeoned a 41-ball ton to score the second-fastest century in the history of the competition.

Melbourne Renegades General Manager, James Rosengarten, was excited while talking about their latest edition in the squad.

"We are extremely excited to have Josh join our squad. We've identified a clear role for Josh in our batting order which will have a new look this year," Rosengarten said.

"Josh possesses a good balance of aggression and composure, which we all witnessed in the recent BBL finals series. We've been watching Josh for a while so his strong season and BBL finals series were no surprise," he added.