SuperCoach BBL prices revealed: Batsmen
PRICES and positions are out for the upcoming SuperCoach BBL season — and Bash Brother Chris Lynn is actually quite affordable.
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THEY’RE the men who wield the willow and power the scoring — if your batsmen are hitting it sweet at the top of the order, you’re looking good from a SuperCoach BBL perspective, with the majority of top 10 players in the game being top order power hitters.
But it’s not just about the high-priced performers who are worth your first look in SuperCoach BBL — there are some genuinely quality cheapies available in BBL|08, thanks in part to injury and/or form seeing some serious talent at bargain basement prices.
Below we look at 10 that you should be looking to bring into your SuperCoach BBL side this season.
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1. D’Arcy Short (Hobart Hurricanes) - $258,900
Yes, he’s the priciest player in the game, but is the Hobart Hurricanes top order batsman worth close to $260,000 of your salary cap? You bet he is! Given there’s every chance he plays the majority of the year for the Hurricanes, following on from 11 games in BBL|07, those who start without him are taking a big risk. As an all-rounder, he’s a must-buy. He has had an explosive start to the 2018/19 cricketing season, smashing a crazy 257 runs in one amazing JLT match-up against Queensland.
2. Chris Lynn (Brisbane Heat) - $202,000
The Bash Brother is 100 per cent a lock for your SuperCoach BBL side. If his shoulders hold together, he’s the most explosive Australian player available. There’s nothing sweeter than the sound of Lynn’s bat making connection with the Kookaburra. Will he play for Australia once the Test series concludes and preparation for the ODI World Cup in England kicks into full gear? Fox Cricket correspondent Tom Morris reckons he’s a lock for a top order spot for his country, which means he might only be available for the first half of the BBL|08 season. Should you start with him? Absolutely.
3. Jake Weatherald (Adelaide Strikers) - $144,600
Weatherald was the hero of Adelaide’s championship-winning BBL|07 side, smashing 115 off just 70 balls to guide his team to glory. He sat behind only Short and Alex Carey in terms of runs scored last season, hitting at a strike rate of 126.82 with that one glorious century in the season-decider and three 50s to boot. The only doubt is if he gets called up for higher honours.
4. Callum Ferguson (Sydney Thunder) - $62,500
At bargain basement price following a BBL|07 season ravaged by injury, Ferguson will be a mainstay of the Thunder side this coming season. He has the experience, nous, and skill to shake down the Thunder from the sky. Back to back centuries for the South Australian Redbacks couldn’t save his side from falling to Lynn’s Queensland Bulls, but he’s been batting first drop for his state thus far this year. He’s a player who will prove to be a bargain buy.
5. Jake Lehmann (Adelaide Strikers) - $62,500
Having just been named skipper of the South Australian Redbacks, Lehmann is massively underpriced for a player who suited up for the Strikers in all games of BBL|07, including their win in the finale. Yes, he only averaged a meagre 16.33 SuperCoach BBL points, but he’s far, far better than that — it doesn’t do justice to how explosive he can be with bat in hand. Expect him to bounce back this season.
6. Michael Klinger (Perth Scorchers) - $79,300
Speaking of bouncing back to form, Maxi Klinger is far better than his starting SuperCoach BBL price point would indicate, as evidenced by his previous Player of the Tournament honours. One of the genuinely good guys of Australian cricket, he’s a mainstay at the top of the order for the Scorchers, having previously skippered the Strikers as well. Klinger will suit up regularly, making him a very decent buy at this price.
7. Nic Maddinson (Melbourne Stars) - $136,700
Having shifted south to restart his stuttering career, Nic Maddinson needs a massive year with the Stars to stake his claim for higher honours. Having spent the first seven seasons of his Big Bash career at the Sixers, Maddison has played 56 Big Bash matches, scoring 1349 runs at a strike rate of 133.3. He even managed to roll his arm over for an over last season, conceding 14 runs in the process. It’s fair to say he’s been signed at the Stars for three seasons because of his batting.
8. Brendon McCullum (Brisbane Heat) - $113,100
How can the former Kiwi captain be so cheap given his history of exploits in the short forms of the game? In BBL|06, he was Brisbane’s leading run-scorer, belting 323 runs at 46.1 and at better than 170 runs for every hundred balls faced. Last year? Not so much — he only cracked two 50s with a top score of 61, and his strike rate plummeted to 135.52 and his average almost halved, down to 24.80. If he can return to the sort of form that Heat fans expect, he should be a set-and-forget in your SuperCoach BBL side.
9. Joe Burns (Brisbane Heat) - $146,900
Despite Joe Burns’ huge-hitting efforts for Brisbane Heat, Chris Lynn will never accept his application papers to be a Bash Brother because he doesn’t meet the qualification criteria — he doesn’t love a punt or a beer. Should you hold that against him in SuperCoach BBL? He smacked 10 sixes in BBL|07 on the way to a strike rate of 142.55, but only converted one start into a 50, which is something he should look to improve in BBL|08.
10. Joe Root (Sydney Thunder) - $200,000
Just as Lynn will likely be selected for Australia in the second half of the BBL|08 season, England’s skipper is only a certainty for the first half of the season. However, he’s a tricky one to assess in terms of actual ‘value’ as he’s the sort of player who might not appear until the second half of the allotted 20 overs, coming in at his preferred spot at second drop, meaning he’ll have limited scope for scoring — it might be a case of hit out or get out. There is a question mark as to whether Root is explosive enough to justify the price.
PRICES OF ALL BATSMEN IN SUPERCOACH BBL
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Cheapie Bible / L-plate guide / Top 100 players in BBL / SuperCoach scoring system revealed / 10 commandments / Best batsmen / Best all rounders / Best bowlers / Best wicket keepers / 10 fearless predictions / BBL’s international onslaught / Poms set to dominate Big Bash / West Indian guns-for-hire / Full squad lists