SuperCoach BBL Round 8 trade guide: How to avoid paying top dollar for gun Scorchers

Perth Scorchers have a third double of the SuperCoach BBL season in Round 9. If you don’t use Round 8 to plan ahead, you’ll need to find another $50,000+ to add their top scorers to your team. TRADE GUIDE

SuperCoach BBL has long been the domain of all-rounders.

Batsmen threatened to steal their thunder in the early rounds of BBL09 as Callum Ferguson, Josh Philippe and Tom Banton started the tournament in red-hot form.

But Tom Curran, Chris Morris, Daniel Sams and Glenn Maxwell have dominated recent fixtures, proving the value of multiple point sources in SuperCoach BBL.

Mitch Marsh and Michael Neser are also filling SuperCoach-friendly roles, batting in the top-six for Perth Scorchers and Adelaide Strikers respectively.

All-rounders should be your trade focus in Round 8 as no team plays twice for the first time since Round 2.

Perth Scorchers return from a bye against Brisbane Heat on Saturday night and key trio Jhye Richardson, Liam Livingstone and Marsh are set to jump in price after their Round 6 heroics.

Unless you have the money spare to pay an extra $10,000-$20,000 ahead of their Round 9 double, this is the perfect round to target the topscoring Scorchers.

James Pattinson ($126,600, BWL) is another player to consider if he makes his return from Test duties, as flagged by Brisbane Heat.

Mitch Marsh scored 169 points during Perth Scorchers’ Round 6 double.

Mitch Marsh (Perth Scorchers) BAT-BWL $161,500 Avg: 55.3

Marsh owners rejoiced as the Perth Scorchers skipper fired during his Round 6 double game week, producing a team-high 67 against Hobart Hurricanes and 102 against Melbourne Renegades. His 169-point total will result in a significant price rise in Round 8. Expect Marsh to fill the bowling void left by Ashton Agar’s departure to India after snaring 2-10 from two overs – including the wicket of his brother Shaun – in Geelong. Jump on now so you aren’t paying $170,000+ for his Round 9 double.

Jhye Richardson (Perth Scorchers) BWL $173,500 Avg: 55.9

Richardson was the topscoring Perth player during their Round 6 double, finishing with 190 points after hammering 33 not out from 14 balls against Hobart and taking 3-22 against the Renegades. His price soared by $22,100 after Round 6 and he will likely be $185,000+ when Perth plays twice in Round 9. Richardson has seven wickets in his last five games and will be one of the few must-have Scorchers for their next double.

MORE BBL NEWS:

Liam Livingstone tees off during Perth Scorchers’ victory over Melbourne Renegades in Geelong.

Liam Livingstone (Perth Scorchers) BAT-BWL $159,600 Avg: 57.1

The big-hitting English opener jumped in price by $17,500 after his 159-point total in Round 6. Livingstone has only bowled three overs in BBL09 but could be one of the beneficiaries of Agar being selected in the ODI squad. He’s a more-than-capable leg-spinner, as he showed by snaring 1-2 when thrown the ball against Hobart. With a strike rate of 165.8, Livingstone can accumulate batting points in a matter of minutes.

Tom Curran (Sydney Sixers) BAT-BWL Avg: 86.1

The Big Bash League’s death-over master, Curran has five of his 13 wickets in the 20th over of innings. The Englishman has also scored 120 runs at an average of 30, behind only top-order trio Josh Philippe, James Vince and Daniel Hughes on the Sixers’ runs tally in BBL09. Curran has SuperCoach scores of 99, 76, 113, 143 and 165 in eight matches and is a perfect captaincy pick for Round 8 as he plays in the last match of the round against Melbourne Stars.

Tom Curran’s knack of taking late wickets has led to several huge SuperCoach scores.

Chris Morris (Sydney Thunder) BAT-BWL Avg: 61.3

Morris has a perfect SuperCoach role, batting in the top six and consistently bowling four overs for the Thunder. The South African will come much cheaper than Curran but arguably has just as much upside. Morris has been one of the most reliable scorers of BBL, posting between 62 and 92 in four of his six matches. His lowest score has been 28, which came in the rain-shortened eight-over fixture against Brisbane Heat.

South African Chris Morris has made a telling impact since joining Sydney Thunder.

Daniel Sams (Sydney Thunder) BAT-BWL Avg: 73.5

The all-rounder is one of the top point scorers of BBL09 despite only averaging 3.8 runs and making four ducks in seven innings — including three first-ball and one second ball. He’s the leading wicket-taker of BBL09 with 15 scalps in eight games and boasts a strike rate of a wicket every 10.9 balls. If he launches in 1-2 innings during the remainder of the tournament, he could average 90+ points and finish as the No. 1 scorer of the campaign.

Ben Cutting (Brisbane Heat) BAT-BWL Avg: 42.2

Cutting has still averaged 42.2 points despite only bowling 13 overs to Round 7. All-rounder Jack Prestwidge and part-timer Matt Renshaw have filled some of the overs Cutting has bowled in previous years. He was more than $40,000 cheaper than his starting price after Round 6 and looms as the ultimate risk-reward pick of Round 8. If the Heat lose early wickets and he gets time in the middle, Cutting could be a point-of-difference trade which pays huge dividends.

Test squad member Michael Neser is back playing an important role for Adelaide Strikers.

Michael Neser (Adelaide Strikers) BAT-BWL Avg: 51.5

The Test squad member has played the past two matches since returning to Adelaide Strikers, finishing with 45 and 58 points. Neser has been thrust into the Morris-Sams role at the Strikers, batting at No. 6 and bowling in both the power play and later overs. In Adelaide’s fixture against Sydney Sixers in Coffs Harbour, he hit four boundaries on his way to 25 from 15 balls. Three days later, he took 2-25 in their return fixture. Players with multiple point sources should be your focus in Round 8 and Neser fits the bill.

Dan Christian (Melbourne Renegades) BAT-BWL Avg: 27.9

Christian was the No. 3 point scorer last season behind D’Arcy Short and Marcus Stoinis but has plummeted in price by almost $100,000 since Round 1. The all-rounder has batted at No. 6 or No. 7 and faced an average of only eight balls a match in the Renegades’ opening seven fixtures. Christian has also surprisingly bowled just eight overs and failed to take a wicket. With Kane Richardson and Aaron Finch in India, the Renegades need one of their most experienced T20 players to stand tall if they are going to end what has become a horror title defence.

ROUND 8 FIXTURES (Times in AEDT)

Thunder v Hurricanes — Saturday, January 11, 6.10pm

Scorchers v Heat — Saturday, January 11, 9.10pm

Strikers v Renegades — Sunday, January 12, 3.40pm

Stars v Sixers — Sunday, January 12, 7.10pm

Originally published as SuperCoach BBL Round 8 trade guide: How to avoid paying top dollar for gun Scorchers