The mid-priced value picks you need to consider for your SuperCoach team

SuperCoach BBL is stacked with value in the mid-range bracket, otherwise known as ‘expensive cheapies’ or ‘underpriced guns’.

England international and new Brisbane Heat signing Tom Banton will be hot property in SuperCoach Big Bash.

SuperCoach BBL is stacked with value in the mid-range bracket, otherwise known as ‘expensive cheapies’ or ‘underpriced guns’.

There’s long been a theory in SuperCoach that the best approach is a ‘guns and rookies’ strategy. That is, loading up on top-line premium players and topping up with a plethora of rookies to round out your team.

There is certainly merit in that theory, however, there is gold to be found within the awkward mid-priced bracket. Truth be told, there is an argument that a lot of the below players qualify as ‘expensive cheapies’.

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Some can also be considered ‘underpriced guns’ with the capability to post matchwinning scores.

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Others are young guns approaching breakout years after honing their craft throughout winter and showing considerable form, development and promise throughout the Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup series.

We’ve ranked our top 10 mid-priced players who can make a considerable impact on your SuperCoach team.

TOM BANTON | BRISBANE HEAT | WKP / BAT | $125,000

English import and reigning CWC Young Player of the Year in October, Tom Banton will arrive on Australian shores for his first crack at the Big Bash League this summer, and with him he’ll be bringing an incredible form line he’s established over the last 12 months. As a top-order hitter and a talented gloveman, Banton - who has signed for the Brisbane Heat - will likely pair with fellow young gun Max Bryant and at $125,000 he tops our list of mid-priced players who could end up at a much heftier price tag as the season progresses.

AARON FINCH | MELBOURNE RENEGADES | BAT | 41.4 avg. | $167,000

Finch might be out of favour for a Test call-up for the first part of the summer, but he’s a sure-fire winner when it comes to SuperCoach BBL selection. Without the distraction of switching between red ball and white ball cricket, there’s every chance that Finch could form a lethal one-two-three at the top of the Renegades’ order along with Marcus Harris and their new teammate Shaun Marsh. While Finch isn’t a season-long keeper as he’ll have ODI and T20I duties later in the competition, he’s a great starter who on face value looks underpriced.

Josh Philippe is a must-start in BBL SuperCoach this year

JOSH PHILIPPE | SYDNEY SIXERS | WKP / BAT | 42.7 avg. | $123,000

If he’s named to play in the opening match of the BBL|09 season and you don’t have Josh Philippe in your squad, then you’re not playing SuperCoach BBL seriously. With DPP flexibility between WKP and BAT positions, Philippe looms as a player to build bank on in the first handful of weeks of the opening of the game, with the Sixers’ tasty double match week rounds immediately followed by a bye. If Philippe performs to expectations then he is a perfect player to have in your squad, with the option to ship him out immediately after Round 3.

DANIEL HUGHES | SYDNEY SIXERS | BAT | 40.1 avg. | $115,500

Dan Hughes’ form can’t be ignored – with two monster centuries and a 50 under his belt to start the white ball season, his form at the top of the order has been exemplary. He’s a star when it comes to the start of seasons – he started BBL|08 with two 90+ point games in his first five matches. Consistency will be key; he also had six scores below 20 last time around. The big query is around where he’ll come in for the Sixers – will he be an opener or a middle-order batsman?

ASHTON AGAR | PERTH SCORCHERS | BAT / BWL | 46.3 avg. | $122,400

Agar’s form for Australia at short-form cricket creates a conundrum in terms of selecting him in SuperCoach – there is no reason why he wouldn’t be part of the touring party that will head to India in mid-January. If the SCG Test is a spinning surface then he’d be a chance of being picked as secondary support for Nathan Lyon there too, which would rule him out of a chunk of the Big Bash season. Do you back him for the first part of the season and then look to trade him out, and possibly need to get him back in as BBL|09 comes to a conclusion? Dilemmas, dilemmas!

NIC MADDINSON | MELBOURNE STARS | BAT | 21.3 avg. | $130,800

Maddinson was unlucky last year to break down with injury on the eve of last season, and it’s very unfortunate that he’s battling mental health issues this year, with the strong batsman electing to pull out of the Australia A tour game in Perth. Hopefully he will be recovered in time for the Big Bash season, as he is a serious cricketer – he hits at a strong clip (career strike rate of 128 in T20s and 90 in List-A), and is flexible enough to bat anywhere in the top order.

Nic Maddinson’s form in the Marsh Cup has been promising for SuperCoaches

CALLUM FERGUSON | SYDNEY THUNDER | BAT | $134,600

At the pricier end of mid-priced selection options, Ferguson joined the Thunder last season after spending three seasons with the Melbourne Renegades, having also played for his hometown team, the Adelaide Strikers. He’s the veteran of the Thunder squad and will undoubtedly play high in the order – last season he destroyed the Scorchers with a monster century, finishing with an unbeaten 113 from just 53 balls. If he can deliver that sort of performance on a more regular basis his SuperCoach price will skyrocket in BBL|09.

MAX BRYANT | BRISBANE HEAT | BAT | 45 avg. | $129,500

Dubbed the ‘baby bash brother’, there has been a changing of the guard at the Heat who struggled for impact last year. It’s likely that slogger Chris Lynn drops down to third in the order and while Brendon McCullum has retired, Bryant will open alongside English import Tom Banton for Brisbane. Bryant’s maiden BBL season last year was consistent at first drop and with greater responsibility and another season under his belt, the young gun should quite literally turn up the Heat at the Gabba in BBL|09 and many SuperCoach teams.

MOISES HENRIQUES | SYDNEY SIXERS | BAT / BWL | $101,500

Captain of the Sydney Sixers, Moises Henriques was heavily selected coming into BBL|08 but as the all-rounder struggled with back problems, he barely bowled an over last season which impacted his SuperCoach scoring and overall output. However the back problems that he was plagued with last year look to be firmly in the past. He has encouraging form with the ball for New South Wales so far in the white-ball season and, on top of that, he’ll play at second drop for the Sixers in the batting. At that price he’s great value and has huge scope for points in what is a skinny bowling side.

JAKE WEATHERALD | ADELAIDE STRIKERS | BAT | 37.9 avg. | $108,900

While the Adelaide Strikers will start the season with a bye round, Weatherald still holds relevance considering his batting prowess and the fact he’ll likely open the batting. The big question is whether or not you start him and stash him on the bench or simply trade him in. It’s likely the latter considering his price in BBL|09 is a lick under $110,000 which makes him gettable enough. Last year Weatherald’s form was patchy; he played a total of 14 games for just 37.9 point average which was a far cry from his stellar BBL|07 form in which he totalled 383 runs and was a premium batsman.

Originally published as The mid-priced value picks you need to consider for your SuperCoach team