Six potential BBL09 breakout players to give your SuperCoach BBL side a point of difference
The big guns in SuperCoach BBL are obvious. But the coaches who set themselves apart are able to identify players ready to go to the next level. Here’s six potential surprise packets of BBL09.
SuperCoach BBL
Don't miss out on the headlines from SuperCoach BBL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
How do you uncover a hidden gem from the eight Big Bash League squads?
Being able to identify potential breakout players is what sets the elite SuperCoaches apart.
Most coaches will want a combination of D’Arcy Short, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Lynn and Josh Philippe in their teams from Round 1.
But those who choose the right points of difference from the start will be the ones who prosper.
Here’s six players who loom as potential surprise packets or breakout stars of BBL09.
1. Mitchell Swepson (Brisbane Heat) BWL $98,500
The leg-spinner wasn’t at his best in BBL08, collecting nine wickets in 12 matches and averaging 35 with the ball. His career record of 32 wickets in 34 T20s and a strike rate of 22 is a better indication of his SuperCoach BBL potential. He took seven wickets across two innings in Queensland’s stirring Sheffield Shield win over Victoria and will be likely to share spin duties with either Zahir Khan or Mujeeb Ur Rahman for the Heat. It’s easy to forget he played a T20 for Australia last year. Much of the focus has gone onto Brisbane’s Afghan spin twins, but Swepson is lethal when on song.
2. Jack Edwards (Sydney Sixers) BAT $62,500
Edwards was expected to be one of the cash cows of last summer but only managed 66 runs in seven innings with a top score of 17. He was replaced by Josh Philippe at the top of the order and seems a long shot to get that role back. But his recent grade cricket form has been encouraging. He smashed 83 off 34 balls in a recent T20 for Manly-Warringah and has 256 runs at 51.2 in five T20 innings.
3. Sam Heazlett (Brisbane Heat) BAT $62,500
Heazlett’s Marsh Cup form guaranteed entry to this list. The left-hander has been one of the leading run scorers in this year’s tournament despite playing only four games, compiling 278 runs at an average of 69.5. His strike rate of 117.2 was also eye-catching. The only issue will be he’ll almost certainly have Chris Lynn, Tom Banton and Max Bryant ahead of him in the Heat batting line-up, however Joe Burns’ Test call-up helps his cause. At his price, and with a double game week in Round 1, he’s worth a long look.
4. Arjun Nair (Sydney Thunder) BAT-BWL $103,600
The spin-bowling all-rounder hasn’t figured prominently for New South Wales this season but at 21 a breakout BBL09 is a real possibility. He only has 23 runs and one wicket from two T20 games in New South Wales Premier Cricket, but Nair’s most recent First Grade innings was 134 not out. He seems a logical replacement for Fawad Ahmed, who has joined Perth Scorchers, although Brendan Doggett and Chris Tremain have also been added to the Thunder’s bowling stocks.
5. Jake Doran (Hobart Hurricanes) WKP-BAT $62,500
Could Doran be the man to fill Matthew Wade’s gloves until he returns from Test duties? Caleb Jewell has been earmarked for Wade’s batting role at the top of the order, but Doran is the wicketkeeper for Jewell’s club side North Hobart. Ben McDermott is the other player in the frame, although Doran has more recent wicketkeeping experience than the Australian T20 batsman. He only batted once in the BBL last season for a score of seven, but showed his promise when he compiled 102 not out against Sri Lanka in January in a game which featured Matt Renshaw, Joe Burns and Marnus Lacubschangne.
6. Brendan Doggett (Sydney Thunder) BWL $132,700
While there’s better value in the Round 1 double game week bowlers, but Doggett shapes as a genuine POD pick. It was only 13 months ago the former Brisbane Heat quick was on the cusp of a baggy green after being named in the Australian Test squad. He played eight games in BBL08 and although he was expensive (8.29 runs an over) he had a strike rate of a wicket every 14 balls. If he could replicate that on a DGW, it would be a guaranteed 75 points.
MORE SUPERCOACH BBL CONTENT
Star-studded squad lists / Top 10 young guns / Everything you need to know / Key dates to shape your season / Gun imports set to explode / New faces to target / How players earn points
Originally published as Six potential BBL09 breakout players to give your SuperCoach BBL side a point of difference