SuperCoach BBL Round 2 trade guide: Get Rashid Khan at any cost
Prepare yourselves for two days of SuperCoach BBL madness in Round 2. Four games, no bye and one trade target you must get — Adelaide’s spin dynamo Rashid Khan.
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The Big Bash League draw has not been kind to SuperCoaches.
Top scorers including Rashid Khan and Alex Carey were sidelined for Adelaide Strikers’ opening round bye, leaving coaches with a challenge to engineer trades before their Round 3 and 4 doubles.
Thousands of coaches chose to start Australian white-ball keeper Carey regardless, a shrewd strategy which provided a Round 1 vice-captaincy loophole and will save them a trade heading into Round 2.
Tricky leg-spinner Khan ($203,300, BWL), who averaged 70.6 points a game last season, was too expensive to be stashed on benches.
Round 2 will be the first opportunity for coaches to set themselves apart from the pack.
Sydney Sixers, Sydney Thunder and Brisbane Heat featured twice in Round 1, but there will be double game week in Round 2.
Coaches will have to take both a short and long-term approach with their three trades, planning for another three-team double in Round 3 (Sixers, Scorchers and Strikers), while also prioritising players who can score premium numbers in one Round 2 fixture.
Last season’s top scorers Marcus Stoinis and D’Arcy Short are obvious targets, but Khan should be at the top of every SuperCoach BBL shopping list.
If that means you don’t have the budget spare for Stoinis and Short, so be it.
Don’t be afraid to sacrifice Brisbane Heat stars such as Chris Lynn, Tom Banton and Ben Cutting, who have a bye in Round 3.
TOP ROUND 2 TARGETS
Chris Jordan BWL (Perth Scorchers) Round 1 score: 84
The English paceman shapes as the top Scorchers target for Round 3. Jordan was the only Perth bowler to emerge unscathed from the club’s Round 1 hiding from Sydney Sixers, snaring 3-13 from three overs. He bowled third change, but don’t let that deter you. Jordan is the second-ranked T20 paceman in the world and worth his high price.
Trade priority: Medium
Cameron Green BAT-BWL (Perth Scorchers) Round 1 score: 43
If you missed out on Green’s Round 1 score, he’ll still be cheap enough to consider. The young all-rounder’s scoring will be volatile if he’s batting at No. 6 and not bowling due to a back injury. But after making 36 from 32 balls against the Sixers, he might be the best cash cow of the early rounds.
Trade priority: Low
Rashid Khan $203,300 BWL (Adelaide Strikers) Round 1 score: N/A
The Afghanistan international has an imposing Big Bash League record with 37 wickets in the past two summers. Khan snared 18 wickets in BBL07 and 19 in BBL08, more scalps than any bowler (Kane Richardson and Sean Abbott have 36). His consistency makes him a must-have for both Adelaide’s Round 3 and Round 4 double.
Priority: High
Alex Carey $139,800 WKP-BAT (Adelaide Strikers) Round 1 score: N/A
The Australian one-day and T20 gloveman is expected to bat at No. 3 for the Strikers behind Jake Weatherald and English import Phil Salt. Don’t let his relegation from opener put you off. Carey averaged 46.5 in this year’s Marsh Cup and Adelaide Oval is one of the friendliest venues for batsmen in the BBL.
Priority: High
Phil Salt $125,00 BAT (Adelaide Strikers) Round 1 score: N/A
Adelaide’s new opening batsman Salt enjoyed a strong Vitality Blast campaign in England with 406 runs at 36.9. Few Englishmen have translated their form on home soil to the BBL, but he’s well-priced for a player who’s going to bat five times in the next three rounds. You could also consider Weatherald at $108,900.
Priority: Medium
Wes Agar $84,200 BWL (Adelaide Strikers) Round 1 score: N/A
Emerging quick Agar is the perfect downgrade target to free up cash to nab Khan. The fast bowler has been all but guaranteed a start by coach Jason Gillespie as the Strikers look to fill the void left by Ben Laughlin’s switch to Brisbane Heat. He took 11 wickets in five Marsh Cup games and has 23 Sheffield Shield scalps.
Priority: Medium
Marcus Stoinis BAT-BWL (Melbourne Stars) Round 1 score: Still to play.
If you didn’t start Stoinis due to his high price tag, Round 2 could be where you pay the price. No team plays twice and those with his scoring potential are rare. Only Stoinis and D’Arcy Short averaged more than 90 points per game last season and he’ll be the top captaincy choice for Round 2.
Trade priority: High, but don’t throw out your structure to make it happen.
D’Arcy Short BAT-BWL (Hobart Hurricanes) Round 1 score: Still to play.
See above. Short is the perfect SuperCoach BBL player who can amass points through his big hitting and underrated bowling.
Trade priority: Medium, as he has a later double than Stoinis in Round 12.
Aaron Finch BAT (Melbourne Renegades) Round 1 score: Still to play.
Finch is one of the few players in SuperCoach BBL history with a score above 200 in one match. The Renegades play Perth Scorchers, who leaked runs against the Sixers in Round 1. If you trade for Finch now you can hold him until his Round 5 double.
Trade priority: Medium
Shaun Marsh BAT (Melbourne Renegades) Round 1 score: Still to play.
Marsh returns to Perth in Round 2 for his first match against the Scorchers. The left-hander made 96 from 55 balls against Sydney Thunder in his only fixture in Western Australia of BBL08.
Trade priority: Medium
Harry Gurney BWL (Melbourne Renegades) Round 1 score: Still to play.
Death bowlers play a huge role in SuperCoach BBL, as those who selected Daniel Sams learned in Round 1. The Thunder all-rounder had 0-17 after one over but picked up two late wickets against Brisbane Heat to salvage a score of 53. Gurney fills a similar bowling role for the Renegades and comes up against a Scorchers batting line-up which limped to 4-29 against the Sixers.
ROUND 1 HEROES
Josh Philippe 150
Chris Green 134
Ben Dwarshuis 129
Callum Ferguson 124
Tom Curran 99
SUPERCOACH BBL NEWS:
SuperCoach BBL Round 1 scores: Josh Philippe, Chris Green get teams off to perfect start
SuperCoach late mail: All the latest player news and squads ahead of first lockout
You missed the first game of BBL09, but it’s not too late to join SuperCoach BBL
Sam Landsberger‘s eight BBL stars to watch, plus top stats from BBL08
ROUND 2 FIXTURE
Saturday, December 21
Sydney Thunder v Adelaide Strikers, Manuka Oval, Canberra 6.10pm AEDT
Perth Scorchers v Melbourne Renegades, Optus Stadium, Perth 9.10pm AEDT
Sunday, December 22
Melbourne Stars v Hobart Hurricanes, Ted Summerton Reserve, Moe, 2.45pm AEDT
Sydney Sixers v Brisbane Heat, SCG, Sydney, 7.10pm
Originally published as SuperCoach BBL Round 2 trade guide: Get Rashid Khan at any cost
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