SuperCoach BBL: The five most-relevant club switches of off-season

It’s been an off-season where the Big Bash League’s greatest wicket-taker and one of its leading batsmen have changed clubs. How will this impact their SuperCoach BBL prospects?

It doesn’t get much bigger than the Big Bash League’s leading wicket-taker of all time changing clubs.

From a SuperCoach BBL perspective, Ben Laughlin’s switch from Adelaide Strikers to Brisbane Heat could hardly be more perfect.

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The move means Laughlin has gone from having a Round 1 bye to a Round 1 double, making him one of the best buys of BBL09 at $107,300.

Laughlin has snared 95 wickets in 75 BBL games, 10 more than the next best Sean Abbott.

Shaun Marsh’s move from Perth Scorchers to Melbourne Renegades shapes as the other key off-season transfer.

Marsh has a formidable BBL career record and seems unlikely to figure in Test calculations for the New Zealand series.

His opening partnership with Aaron Finch will give the Renegades real hope of securing consecutive titles.

Ben Laughlin celebrates one of his 10 wickets for Adelaide Strikers in BBL08.

1. Ben Laughlin (Adelaide Strikers to Brisbane Heat) $107,300 BWL 2018 SCBBL average: 37.7

The leading wicket-taker in BBL history has gone from having a bye in Round 1 to featuring twice after his recent move from the Strikers to the Heat. Brisbane Heat was in desperate need of experience in its pace-bowling ranks and Laughlin brings that in spades. However, Laughlin wasn’t at his best in BBL08, finishing with 10 wickets at an average of 36.6 and conceding 8.4 runs an over. Despite this, he has strong appeal due to his low price and matches against Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Stars in Round 1. One strong performance in either of those games would result in a price jump.

BBL08 statistics: 13 matches, 10 wickets, average 36.6, best 3-19, economy 8.41, strike rate 26.1

Shaun Marsh has the best BBL average of any batsman with 1000 career runs.

2. Shaun Marsh (Perth Scorchers to Melbourne Renegades) $147,700 BAT 2018 SCBBL average: 51.3

Marsh sent a timely reminder of his undeniable white-ball quality with a matchwinning century in the Marsh Cup final. The experienced batsman is set to be the linchpin of reigning champion Melbourne Renegades’ line-up and will partner Aaron Finch at the top of the order. Marsh has the best average (49.5) of any batsman in BBL history with more than 1000 runs, just ahead of Hobart’s D’Arcy Short (46.9). His new home pitch at Marvel Stadium is the BBL’s trickiest for batsmen but Marsh has the quality to counter that.

BBL08 statistics: 3 matches, 98 runs, high score 96 not out, average 49, strike rate 153.1.

Nathan Coulter-Nile will be part of a formidable pace-bowling battery with Dale Steyn.

3. Nathan Coulter-Nile (Perth Scorchers to Melbourne Stars) $175,300 2018 SCBBL average: 60.9

Australian seamer Coulter-Nile was a key figure for Perth Scorchers last summer, forming a lethal partnership with Jason Behrendorff. The opening pair combined for 23 wickets, of which Coulter-Nile snared 14 at better than one a game. He has 46 wickets from 38 BBL matches with a career strike rate of 17.8. That equates to a wicket every three overs he bowls. His starting price is high for a player who no longer carries BAT-BWL status, although he’ll be a priority target for Round 5 when the Stars play twice.

BBL08 statistics: 13 matches, 14 wickets, average 27.1, best 3-25, economy 7.45, strike rate 21.8

Fawad Ahmed will share spin duties at Perth Scorchers with Ashton Agar.

4. Fawad Ahmed (Sydney Thunder to Perth Scorchers) $113,000 BWL 2018 SCBBL average: 39.3

Veteran leg-spinner Ahmed is one of the cheapest bowling options with a proven BBL record. Ahmed has captured 40 wickets from 42 games for Sydney Thunder since 2015 with an impressive economy rate of 6.97 runs an over. He’ll likely partner Ashton Agar in a dual spin attack before taking on the lead role when Australia travels to India for its one-day international series next month. Ahmed averaged 39.3 SuperCoach points a game in BBL08 and his selection would put teams a step ahead for Perth’s Round 3 double.

BBL08 statistics: 14 matches, 13 wickets, average 25.4, best 3-33, economy 7.02, strike rate 21.6

Jackson Bird appeals for a wicket for Melbourne Stars last summer.

5. Jackson Bird (Melbourne Stars to Sydney Sixers) $133,900 BWL 2018 SCBBL average: 46.6

Former Test seamer Bird returns to Sydney in a further boost to a potent bowling attack led by Sean Abbott, Tom Curran and Ben Dwarshuis. Bird will press for new-ball duties, a role he filled successfully for the Stars in BBL08. Bird had one of the best economy rates (6.7 runs an over) of any paceman last season and should complement the three quicks who enjoyed plenty of success as a trio for the Sixers. He’s the cheapest of Sydney’s four frontline pacemen.

BBL08 statistics: 9 matches, 7 wickets, average 25.9, best 2-22, economy 6.70, strike rate 23.1

MORE SUPERCOACH BBL CONTENT

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Originally published as SuperCoach BBL: The five most-relevant club switches of off-season