Will Brisbane Heat’s marquee signing AB De Villiers be out of reach in SuperCoach BBL?
AB De Villiers will make his much-anticipated BBL debut for Brisbane Heat this month. Here’s when the South African legend will debut and how to afford him in SuperCoach BBL.
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As SuperCoaches have tinkered with their teams in the first six rounds, the spectre of South African great AB De Villiers has loomed large.
De Villiers has signed for six games plus a possible finals campaign for Brisbane Heat in arguably the greatest coup in BBL history.
The Heat announced on Wednesday De Villiers would make his hotly-anticipated BBL debut on January 14 when they host Adelaide Strikers at the Gabba.
The former South African captain will replace English rising star Tom Banton, who scored an incredible 16-ball 50 against Sydney Thunder on Monday night.
Affording the 35-year-old in SuperCoach BBL will be a tall order.
HAVEN’T SIGNED UP FOR SUPERCOACH BBL YET? THERE’S STILL THOUSANDS IN PRIZES TO BE WON!
At $225,000, De Villiers started as the third expensive player in BBL09 behind last summer’s top scorers Marcus Stoinis ($278,900) and D’Arcy Short ($262,800).
His value is equal to that of Sydney Sixers and Australian star Steve Smith.
Callum Ferguson was the topscoring SuperCoach BBL batsman last season, finishing with an average of 46.8 and ranking 24th for overall points.
7 sleeps until @ABdeVilliers17 arrives ✈ï¸#BringTheHeat #BBL09 pic.twitter.com/MGpydip5PT
— Brisbane Heat (@HeatBBL) January 5, 2020
De Villiers will need to average about 78 points per game just to hold his price, 31.2 points more than Ferguson managed last season.
That mark would not be unprecedented, with Aaron Finch, Chris Lynn and Usman Khawaja previously achieving it.
The top batsmen to Round 5 in BBL09 were Lynn (76 points), Matt Renshaw (69.4) and Ferguson (67.2)
De Villiers averaged 69.6 with a strike rate of 182 in this year’s English Vitality Blast, clubbing 348 runs from eight innings.
Factoring in 157 points for strike rate bonus, 21 points for fours and 40 points for each of his 20 sixes, De Villiers would have scored 566 SuperCoach points at an average of 70.7 per game.
He also took six catches at an average of almost one per match, which would have increased his average to more than 80 points.
Replicating those numbers will be tough, but a player with De Villiers’ brilliance is more than capable of eclipsing that mark and making a mockery of what will be a significant starting break even.
However, recent history will not be on his side.
Only Marcus Stoinis (53.3) and D’Arcy Short (53.08) finished with an average of more than 50 runs per innings in BBL08, while Travis Head (53.4), Cameron White (76) and Short (57.2) were the players with more than 300 runs who managed that feat in BBL07.
Brisbane Heat has a double in Round 13, the last round before finals, when De Villiers will be simply irresistible as a trade target.
But the likelihood is he will be much cheaper than his starting price by then as coaches prime their teams for finals.
SuperCoach BBL is often about the players you are willing to risk, rather than those you include in your squad.
Leaving out De Villiers until closer to Brisbane Heat’s last-round double is not only likely to save money, but would allow you to prioritise other stars with double game weeks such as Tom Curran (Round 10) and Short (Round 12).
HAVEN’T SIGNED UP FOR SUPERCOACH BBL YET? THERE’S STILL THOUSANDS IN PRIZES TO BE WON!
THREE WAYS TO AFFORD AB DE VILLIERS
1. THE BANTON UPGRADE
English rising star Tom Banton plays the first eight games for Brisbane Heat and started at $125,000. If he can make a profit of at least $50,000, the jump to De Villiers will be much easier. That target appears likely after his score of 109 against Sydney Thunder.
2. BUILD YOUR BANK
Plan for De Villiers’ arrival by downgrading players and building a war chest before he debuts. If you have $100,000 or more spare, upgrading a mid-pricer will be achievable. Build your bank by starting the right bench players.
3. SWAP A PREMIUM
Sydney Sixers have a bye in Round 9, when De Villiers is due to replace Banton. Would you be willing to trade a premium such as Curran to have the South African in your side from his debut? Although, you should be mindful the Sixers play twice in Round 10.
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Originally published as Will Brisbane Heat’s marquee signing AB De Villiers be out of reach in SuperCoach BBL?
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