Marcus Stoinis has the No. 1 bowling strike rate in BBL history of players with 20+ wickets

You’ll need to sacrifice more than 15 per cent of your SuperCoach BBL budget to start Marcus Stoinis. But this stat might be enough to convince you the Melbourne Stars all-rounder is worth every penny.

This will make it hard to leave Marcus Stoinis out of your SuperCoach BBL team.

The Melbourne Stars all-rounder is the most-expensive player ahead of BBL09 at a whopping $278,900, $16,100 more than Hobart’s D’Arcy Short.

Only Short (637 runs) and his opening partner Matthew Wade (592) made more runs than Stoinis in BBL08, however it is his record with the ball which adds to his appeal.

The 30-year-old has the best bowling career strike rate of any player with more than 20 BBL scalps, taking a wicket every 14.7 balls.

Last summer, Stoinis bowled 27 overs for 14 wickets with an incredible strike rate of 11.5 — the equivalent of a wicket every two overs.

He was used sparingly by the Stars early in BBL08, bowling two overs in the opening three games and batting at either No. 4 or No.5.

Marcus Stoinis celebrates a wicket with Jackson Bird last summer.

Stoinis returned a combined 0-26 and 34 runs in three matches before his tournament exploded with 2-26 and 78 not out against Melbourne Renegades.

From the Stars’ fourth game onwards, Stoinis snared 14-200, averaging 14.28 with a strike rate of a wicket every 10.7 balls.

Englishman Tom Curran (15.5 balls per wicket), Sean Abbott (15.6) and injured Perth Scorchers seamer Andrew Tye (15.7) rank next for their wicket-taking exploits, while Rashid Khan (16.2) is unsurprisingly the BBL’s most lethal spinner.

There are 15 players with more than 20 wickets and a strike rate of 18 or better, with James Faulkner (17.8), Nathan Coulter-Nile (17.8), Mark Steketee (17.8), Josh Lalor (17.9) and Jofra Archer (18) outside the top-10.

Tom Curran steams away to celebrate a wicket for Sydney Sixers.

Perth quick Matthew Kelly warrants mention in the discussion, with 19 wickets and a strike rate of 14.5.

Kelly is set to be given greater opportunity due to injuries to Tye and Jason Behrendorff, although his starting price of $165,100 is high for a player without a double game week until Round 3.

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 Marcus Stoinis has the No. 1 bowling strike rate in BBL history of players with 20+ wickets