SuperCoach BBL: What you need to know ahead of Round 2

There’s no time to lose in SuperCoach – make sure you’re ready to go, because Round 2 will see four games played in two rounds, including the first taste for the season for the Adelaide Strikers

Qais Ahmad of the Hurricanes reacts after the dismissal of Moises Henriques of the Sydney Sixers...his flip was something else!

There’s no rest for the wicked when it comes to making your SuperCoach trades, with each round coming fast on top of the last.

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Here we look back at what were the big talking points out of the previous round and cast our gaze ahead at what is to come next – there’s no time to waste, so make your trades now!

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BOOM OF THE ROUND: QAIS AHMAD | HOBART HURRICANES | BWL | 180 points

It would be oh so easy to highlight the likes of Josh Philippe (189 total points for the Sydney Sixers this round, albeit in two matches), but instead it’s worth isolating the single performance of the ‘Canes’ spinning marvel – he bamboozled the Sixers in the heat of Alice Springs, where temperate came close to 45 degrees, taking 4/12 from his allotted four overs. Tim Michell’s fearless prediction of him topping the wicket-taking table could well be spot on.

BUST OF THE ROUND: LIAM LIVINGSTONE | PERTH SCORCHERS | BAT / BWL 0 points

Oh dear. Livingstone failed to trouble the scorers in his sole performance for the Scorchers; he only faced two balls and didn’t roll his arm over as the Sixers cruised to victory at the SCG within 15 overs.

Livingstone trudges off after falling for a duck

UNIQUE OF THE ROUND: BEN MANENTI | SYDNEY SIXERS | BWL | 158 points | 0.9% ownership

Now that is what you call a point of difference! Manenti started the round priced at less than $80,000, but picking up 64 then 94 points in his two matches in Round 1 makes him an absolute monty to be picked up by a heap of sides going into Round 2 and the Round 3 double for the Sixers. Even now, he’s only priced at $102,900, which makes him somewhat of a bargain buy.

Superstar leg-spinner Rashid Khan knows a thing or two about the white ball

PLAYERS TO TARGET NEXT ROUND

We could just say Qais, Qais, and Qais, but really it’s all about the Strikers this week, with the Adelaide side set to debut for the first time in BBL|09 in Round 2 of SuperCoach BBL. They struggled to make an impact last season, as teams worked out how to get on top of their star spinner, Rashid Khan. Will the Afghani sensation be able to bounce back?

RASHID KHAN | BWL | 70.6 avg. in BBL|08 | $203,300 in BBL|09

Some considered Khan’s BBL|09 season last a bit of a let-down – he didn’t command quite the same number of headline inches as he did the first time around, when the Strikers ended the competition as the winners. With his side struggling last year, Khan was nevertheless a reasonably strong performer and it’s reasonable to expect that he’ll be another wicket-taking weapon third time around.

MICHAEL NESER | BAT / BWL | 45.9 avg. | $131,900

This could easily go one of two ways – either Neser becomes one of the breakout players in the Big Bash or alternatively he could continue to average sub-50 point output in SuperCoach in BBL|09, thus costing a pretty penny but not really worth his price point. He’s a tricky one to judge.

WES AGAR | BWL | 32.5 avg. | $84,200

The younger brother of Scorchers’ tweaker Ashton, Wes is instead a tall quick who extracts great bounce out of the pitch. With only two outings last season, he strikes as the sort of player who could emerge as one of the finds of the upcoming Big Bash season – his best figures of 2/33 in Adelaide’s 41-run victory over the Stars last summer included a team-high 11 dot balls.

It’s not too late: register for SuperCoach BBL now!

PLAYERS TO AVOID NEXT ROUND

JAKE LEHMANN | ADELAIDE STRIKERS | BAT | 19.6 avg. in BBL|08 | $62,500

The Son of Boof had a season to forget in BBL|08 – he failed to make a score of 50 and rolled his arm for two overs and got smacked for 26 runs without claiming a wicket. Batting lower in the order than expected, he only suited up nine times. His low, low price point makes him a serious POD though – if he performs to his undoubted talent, then the owners who back him in to rebound quickly in BBL|09 will be laughing.

ALEX CAREY | ADELAIDE STRIKERS | WKP / BAT | 48.6 avg. in BBL|08 | $139,800

There is so much uncertainty at this point in terms as to what role Carey will play for the Strikers this upcoming season. For Australia he has become a lower order player at ODI level – will that continue in the Big Bash? If so, then Carey’s price will plummet – he simply won’t get the chance to swing the willow and as such earn points for your side. If, however, Strikers’ coach Jason Gillespie deploys him somewhere in the top order, then his price could soar. It’s a wait and see.

Chris Green in action

CHRIS GREEN | SYDNEY THUNDER | BWL | 148 points in Round 1 | $152,300

The tweaker opened the season with the biggest points in the first match of the season, banking 134 against the Heat as he claimed two wickets, snagged a couple of catches, picked up 20 bonus points for his Economy Rate but – just as importantly – scored 25 runs, 8 bonus points, and hit two sixes and two fours. His score in the second Thunder match of the Round was massively down, earning a meagre 14 points, all from dot balls and his Economy Rate. This sort of inconsistency should not be rewarded with selection in your SuperCoach BBL squad.

CAPTAIN’S CHOICE

With no double-up teams in Round 2, it all comes down to who you think will really go large. With Josh Philippe already showing that he’ll make the SCG a happy hunting ground – he smashed 150 points in the Sixers’ opening match of the season – it’s very hard to look past him as a ‘safe’ captaincy option. If you’re after a different tack, perhaps look instead to the Stars, who are headed to Moe – last time he was there, Marcus Stoinis made 53 and claimed 3/20. Or just pick Qais!

It’s not too late: register for SuperCoach BBL now!

Originally published as SuperCoach BBL: What you need to know ahead of Round 2