KFC SuperCoach BBL: Most-popular players, ownership stats for BBL11

No one can get everything right in KFC SuperCoach. Here are 11 mistakes coaches are making for BBL11 — with enough time to fix them if you’re one of them!

What are you thinking KFC SuperCoaches!

We love all of you who have already signed on, but seriously?

We need to talk about almost 8 per cent of you selecting Marnus Labuschagne and more than 9 per cent investing big money on Sean Abbott.

Labuschagne won’t play for the Heat until after KFC SuperCoach BBL ends and Abbott is out until Round 3 after being chosen for Australia A.

The last Ashes Test isn’t scheduled to finish until January 18, the same day the last round of KFC SuperCoach starts.

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As brilliant as he was late in BBL10 for the Heat, you can effectively scratch Labuschagne from your plans. That goes for all Test regulars, in fact.

Abbott will miss the early rounds (including the Round 1 Sixers double) due to what has been billed as the ‘selection shootout’ between Australia A and Australia on December 1-3 and the Australia A v England fixture (December 9-12).

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Usman Khawaja, Mark Steketee and Mitch Swepson will also be involved, with the Heat duo the most relevant due to their Round 1 double.

If you’re uncertain when players might be ruled out of the BBL for international duties, check out The Phantom’s handy Summer Calendar here.

And after you’ve done that, please go and take Labuschagne out of your KFC SuperCoach teams.

We’re all big Marnus fans, but save your parochialism for the Test series instead of KFC SuperCoach.

Here are 11 mistakes coaches are still making with a few days left before BBL11 starts, plus the players you need to reconsider:

11 MISTAKES KFC SUPERCOACHES ARE MAKING

1. MAKING MARNUS CAPTAIN

As you will note from the ownership stats below, Marnus Labuschagne was still in more than 7 per cent of KFC SuperCoach teams a few days before BBL11. That’s almost $250k you should be spending elsewhere. KFC SuperCoach doesn’t run into BBL finals this year, so the Aussie Test players are unlikely to feature at all. Possibly worse, about 5 per cent of you have him captain! Please change this ASAP.

2. STARTING MATTHEW RENSHAW

Every KFC SuperCoach who watched Renshaw’s hundred against South Australia in the Marsh Cup would have felt bittersweet. He has been pinpointed as one of the top cheapies all pre-season, but won’t feature until at least Round 4 due to Australia A duties. That’s a long time to carry a player and although there’s not a lot of cheapies, starting Renshaw seems the wrong move.

Mitch Marsh won’t feature for the Scorchers until at least Round 3.

3. STARTING MITCH MARSH

Marsh will be Renshaw’s teammate when Australia A takes on the English Lions from December 9-12. He’ll be back in time for the Scorchers’ Round 4 double, but there’s no point carrying him until then. As of November 30, Marsh was still in almost 40 per cent of KFC SuperCoach teams!

4. STARTING CARLOS BRATHWAITE

The big West Indian could have been a Round 1 bargain with the Sixers on the double. But, after undergoing shoulder surgery, he’s unlikely to feature at all in BBL11. He certainly won’t be here early in the tournament, with Chris Jordan signed as a replacement player.

5. PICKING TEST SQUAD HOPEFULS

This isn’t as great a mistake as picking players who are a certainty to miss the full KFC SuperCoach campaign such as Labuschagne. But if Usman Khawaja and Travis Head remain in the Ashes squad, you will want to remove them from your KFC SuperCoach teams pronto. One of that pair will be in the No. 5 spot in the first Test.

Chris Jordan has signed with the Sixers for the first five games of BBL11.

6. NOT JUMPING ON JORDAN FAST ENOUGH

Ok, you don’t all sit on KFC SuperCoach most of the day like me. I’ll give you that. But I expected Chris Jordan to be in far more than 2 per cent of teams within 24 hours of signing for the Sixers. He’s a top-10 T20 bowler in the world, performed well at the T20 World Cup and costs less than $150k. Close to a must-have.

7. PICKING INJURED PLAYERS

It’s not always easy to be across every bit of injury news, especially when BBL squads have only started coming together in late November. But players such as Seb Gotch (27 per cent of teams), Brathwaite (18 per cent) and Shaun Marsh (10 per cent) are all popular yet won’t play in Round 1. Marsh might not feature until after Christmas, while Brathwaite and Gotch are in doubt for the entire tournament.

8. CHOOSING JHYE RICHARDSON

The Scorchers quick was far and away the No. 1 KFC SuperCoach points scorer last season and his price tag reflects this. But BBL10 scores count for nothing in BBL11 and Richardson is destined to spend most of the summer with the Test squad anyway. He might even be partnering new skipper Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood at the Gabba in the first Test.

9. OVERLOOKING JACK WILDERMUTH

All-rounders are proven to be the top scorers in KFC SuperCoach and Wildermuth will have a prominent role to play for the Heat with so many stars missing early. Expect him to bowl 3-4 overs a game and bat at either No. 6 or No. 7, so points should come from both skills in the Round 1 double. The fact he was only in 12 per cent of teams on November 30 is puzzling.

10. MISSING HARRY NIELSEN

If Alex Carey gets the nod as Tim Paine’s replacement, Nielsen might have a full summer to establish himself as the gloveman for the Strikers. And that’s a big plus for KFC SuperCoaches if he’s going to batting in top-four, as Carey has in previous years. In a summer where cheapies are hard to come by, the $76k price for Nielsen looks to be serious value.

Mohammad Nabi needs to be considered in KFC SuperCoach.

11. FORGETTING ABOUT MOHAMMAD NABI

He only signed a few weeks ago and the Renegades don’t have a double until deep in the season. So, maybe it’s understandable Nabi is in less than 5 per cent of teams. But without Shaun Marsh, Nic Maddinson and potentially Aaron Finch early on, he’s going to be crucial for an inexperienced Renegades side. Expect Nabi to bowl at least 2-3 overs a game and fill an important role with the bat at No. 5 or No.6. The $139k price tag is very appealing.

Usman Khawaja is pushing for selection in the Ashes squad.

11 PLAYERS TO RECONSIDER*

*Ownership current as of November 30

Seb Gotch $62k WKP-BAT 26.9 per cent

Tim says: Battling a finger injury and no guarantee to play in BBL11. Unless you’re using him as your captaincy loophole you should start Matthew Gilkes. Alternatively, wait for a $42k WKP-BAT to be signed and jump on. Peter Nevill has been linked with the Stars to replace him.

Jimmy Peirson $89k WKP-BAT 24 per cent

Tim says: Finished BBL10 strongly but the question mark will always be where he bats. Assuming Bryant, Lynn and Duckett are the top three and Sam Heazlett slots in at four, the best-case scenario is Peirson bats at five. Even then, that doesn’t guarantee much of a hit. Just pay up for Josh Philippe.

Usman Khawaja $93k BAT 13 per cent

Tim says: Destined to be in the Ashes squad or at the very least playing for Australia A against the English Lions. Not sure you want to have more than $90k on your bench not playing for the first few rounds – and potentially much longer if he’s back in the Test side.

Alex Hales $183k BAT 14.9 per cent

Tim says: Coming off a blistering BBL10 but when has it ever been wise to invest this much in a BAT only player? If he cops a couple of good balls early in BBL11 Hales could become much cheaper fast. He got down to $126k last summer and $80k the season before. Dan Christian is the same price and has a Round 1 double.

Peter Handscomb $81k WKP-BAT 15.3 per cent

Tim says: Doesn’t have a double until Round 6 and generally bats too low to be much of a factor in KFC SuperCoach. Plenty thought he was too cheap to ignore last season and he averaged 26 points with a top score of 46. The only positive is with Harry Brook and possibly Matthew Wade unavailable early, he could get bumped up the order.

Sean Abbott is poised to miss the early rounds of the BBL.

Sean Abbott $169k BWL 9.3 per cent

Tim says: Still an outside chance to be in the squad for the first Ashes Test and at the very least has been named for Australia A. Michael Neser’s hamstring setback likely has Abbott primed to be one of the back-up quicks to Starc, Cummins, Hazlewood and Richardson. If he’s elevated into the Ashes squad it will be deep into BBL11 before he turns out for the Sixers.

Marnus Labuschagne $247k BAT-BWL 7.7 per cent

Tim says: Has Ashes duties until deep into BBL11. Redeploy that cash elsewhere and bolster your team. It’s a worry to see about 5 per cent of teams have Labuschagne as captain. Make sure you change that before Round 1!

Marnus Labuschagne is unlikely to feature in any rounds of SuperCoach BBL.

Jordan Silk $130k BAT 8.1 per cent

Tim says: A key cog of the back-to-back champs in the middle order but his No. 5 role just doesn’t suit KFC SuperCoach. If you pick Silk you’re relying on a top-order collapse for him to spend enough time at the crease. He’ll throw in the odd good score but seven of his totals were 23 points or less to Round 10 last summer.

Mark Steketee $153k BWL 5.2 per cent

Tim says: Ashes squad or Australia A duties beckon for the Queensland quickie. Which is a shame for KFC SuperCoach as the Heat have a Round 1 double, but just reward for Steketee’s outstanding last 12-18 months.

Mark Steketee will be involved in Australia’s Ashes warm-up games.

Mitch Swepson $170k BWL 4 per cent

Tim says: See above Steketee notes. Ashes squad or Australia A will cause him to miss the start of BBL11. Even then, $170k is a lot to pay.

Marcus Harris $62k BAT 3.1 per cent

Tim says: Not even guaranteed to be in the Renegades side when available. Plus, George Bailey let slip a few weeks ago he will partner David Warner in the first Test.

11 PLAYERS GOING UNDER THE RADAR

Tom Curran $201k BAT-BWL 20.9 per cent

Tim says: The perfect Round 1 captain who I thought he would be in twice as many teams. A regular wicket-taker at the death who piles up KFC SuperCoach points in the 18th and 20th overs. Even more crucial to the Sixers with Ben Dwarshuis in doubt due to injury.

Joel Paris $62k BWL 14.8 per cent

Tim says: Pending a return from injury he might be our best cheapie this summer. Paris was bowling beautifully in the Shield before being sidelined by a hamstring issue. He might get James Faulkner’s role if he can recover by Round 1. If not, hello Josh Kann or Jordan Thompson.

Xavier Bartlett $97k BWL 16.6 per cent

Tim says: Back bowling in grade cricket for Gold Coast and primed to take the new ball for the Heat with Steketee, Neser and Swepson likely to be missing. Forget his one-over cameos last summer – Bartlett is ready to announce himself as one of Australia’s up-and-coming quicks.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman $208k BWL 17.6 per cent

Tim says:. We’re talking about one of the world’s premier T20 bowlers and he plays twice in Round 1. Leaving him out could be a season-defining error if he rips through the Thunder and Scorchers in the opening round.

Ben Dwarshuis $181k BWL 6.2 per cent

Tim says: How many summers in a row will KFC SuperCoaches sleep on big Ben? He’s got a Round 1 double, a glorious moustache and a nack of taking late wickets. With Tom Curran back you can expect Dwarshuis to bowl the 19th over and clean up after the Englishman piles pressure on at the other end. He’s been battling a side strain though, so watch his fitness. If he plays Round 1, he’ll be a serious POD.

Jack Wildermuth charges in for Brisbane Heat.

Jack Wildermuth $155k BAT-BWL 12.5 per cent

Tim says: No surprise to see Wildermuth has gone from about 5 per cent owned to more than 12 per cent after missing out on the Australia A squad. He proved how well he can score in KFC SuperCoach in the early stages of BBL10 and has another level to go to with the bat from last season.

George Garton $125k BAT-BWL 4.4 per cent

Tim says: He hasn’t left my team since he signed with the Strikers. I’m happy to acknowledge picking Englishmen who haven’t played BBL before has been disastrous in past seasons. But Garton ticks almost every box in KFC SuperCoach. He should bat in the top seven, is a wicket-taker and scores runs at an eye-catching strike rate. Oh, and he has a double in Round 2.

Mohammad Nabi is back with the Renegades.

Mohammad Nabi $139k BAT-BWL 4.9 per cent

Tim says: He surely won’t be in less than 5 per cent of teams for long. We’re talking about one of the most experienced T20 cricketers in the world and a player who is known to have huge influence on games with bat and ball. Let’s chalk his low ownership down to the fact he only re-signed with the Renegades in the past week or so.

Joe Clarke $112k WKP-BAT 2.1 per cent

Tim says: If he was $20k cheaper he would have been one of the first-picked in my side. Clarke has been one of the leading scorers in the Vitality Blast for the past two years and had a taste of the BBL with Perth Scorchers last season. It was only three games, but hopefully that exposure proves enough for him to buck the trend of English batters struggling in the BBL and enjoy a big tournament for the Stars. The double in Round 3 makes him a genuine starting option.

Nathan McAndrew $127k BWL 1 per cent

Tim says: McAndrew emerged as a wicket threat for the Thunder last season with 15 scalps in 13 games, second only to Daniel Sams. While he can be expensive, going at an average of 9.75 runs an over in BBL10, his strike rate of 17.6 proves he’s a regular wicket-taker. He doesn’t get many chances with the bat, but smashed 72 runs from 35 balls last summer to underline his power-hitting ability. If he lets loose in 1-2 games early, that will equal serious KFC SuperCoach points.

Matthew Kelly celebrates a wicket for the Scorchers.

Matthew Kelly $101k BWL 1 per cent

Tim says: Did I save the best POD to last? You can of course be the judge. Ultimately, whether Kelly can live up to my expectations might come down to how many Scorchers bowlers are available early in the campaign. Jhye Richardson is right in the mix to return to the Test side in Brisbane and will almost certainly be with the squad for most of the summer. Lance Morris has a side strain which could keep him out of Round 1 too, so Kelly has emerged as a key bowler for the Scorchers. At this price, you could do a lot worse. I sense he’ll be very popular by the Scorchers Round 4 double.

Originally published as KFC SuperCoach BBL: Most-popular players, ownership stats for BBL11