KFC SuperCoach BBL: Trade guide for rounds 5 and 6, expert trades revealed

There are no double game weeks or byes in Round 5, and two sides play twice in Round 6. Find out how to navigate the next two rounds and who to bring in.

The next week shapes as a defining stretch of the KFC SuperCoach BBL season.

Round 5 presents a unique challenge and will be the first time this season no team plays twice.

This is where the differing approaches of KFC SuperCoaches could decide the path their seasons take.

Many will use Round 5 to prepare for the Hurricanes and Heat double in Round 6, although some will take a different approach and simply target the best players to gain an edge.

Daniel Sams or D’Arcy Short? George Garton or Matthew Wade? Rashid Khan or Mujeeb Ur Rahman?

In a perfect world, you would use Round 5 to prepare for the next double, while also adding an uber-premium like Sams.

The Thunder all-rounder is getting much cheaper than his starting price of more than $200k and although he hasn’t hit the heights of previous seasons, he’s a perfect captain for Round 5.

This is where KFC SuperCoaches need to decide whether they’re willing to pay an extra $20k or $30k to add a topscoring player a few rounds before other coaches.

KFC SuperCoaches would be wise to plan how they would like their team to look come Round 6.

If you’re prepared to go without an extra double game week player to have Sams in your team, then go for it.

If you’re determined to have at least 6-7 double game week players for Round 6, that could mean dedicating each of your trades in rounds 5 and 6 to Heat and Hurricanes players.

Here’s our priority list for Round 5 and a look ahead to the Heat-Hurricanes double.

D’Arcy Short will be a top target come rounds 5 and 6.

1. D’Arcy Short (Hurricanes)

Despite a scratchy start to BBL11, Short is capable of monster KFC SuperCoach scores and will be a must-have by Round 6. The Hurricanes opener is a player most coaches will be comfortable to have in their sides in Round 5, when no team plays twice. If you’re planning on going early on any player from the Heat or Hurricanes before Round 6, Short will be one of the leading options. There were danger signs early in the tournament when Matthew Wade threw the ball to Tim David before Short, but he still offers something different as a left-arm tweaker. Joel Paris’ groin injury might force the Hurricanes to use Short more as a bowler, although he did not bowl an over in their last match against the Scorchers. Regardless, he’s a priority trade for either Round 5 or 6.

Matthew Wade is always a big threat in the BBL.

2. Matthew Wade (Hurricanes)

Wade will have an uninterrupted BBL11 after being overlooked for the Ashes in what looms as a great outcome for KFC SuperCoach teams. He only played three matches last summer in purple but showed his quality at the level with a high score of 86 and season-high KFC SuperCoach score of 121. Few KFC SuperCoaches will forget when Wade pummelled scores of 204 and 224 in successive rounds late in BBL09. It’s a bonus he keeps to a quality spinner such as Sandeep Lamichhane at the Hurricanes as well, which should give Wade every chance of picking up further points in the field. Wade is predicted to drop more than $25k with a monster break even of 142 to contend with, so it may worth waiting until Round 6 before pouncing. No coach wants to be paying an exorbitant sum for a player who scores most of their points from batting.

Daniel Sams should be available for less than $180k by Round 5.

3. Daniel Sams (Thunder)

Thunder all-rounder and KFC SuperCoach’s premier scorer Daniel Sams is available for a touch over $160k in Round 5, which is an amazing outcome for KFC SuperCoaches who took a big risk by not starting Sams. Those coaches were burned in Round 1 when he scored 107 but then would have been rejoicing when Sams scored one point in an uncharacteristically poor outing against the Stars. He’s highly unlikely to score that poorly again and with no teams on the double in Round 5, Sams will be an ideal captaincy choice. He bowls the 20th over and is capable of launching 20 runs at a quick rate to get the strike rate bonus. You could then hold Sams all the way through to the Thunder’s Round 10 double in early January. If you’re targeting a rankings jump in Round 5, Sams is the player to bring in.

Nathan Ellis is the go-to quick for the Hurricanes.

4. Nathan Ellis (Hurricanes)

The Hobart seamer rarely lets KFC SuperCoaches down and has the perfect role to score well, bowling in the power play and the death overs of each innings. Ellis posted KFC SuperCoach scores of 48, 33 and 59 and 54 to open BBL11 and his consistency is one of his great strengths. He only scored lower than 33 points in two rounds of BBL10, when five of his 13 scores were in the 30s and one was in the fifties. If he can produce close to those numbers in the Round 6 double, coaches are looking at a score of at least 80-100 points. Ellis’ importance to Hobart has only been further emphasised by Joel Paris’ groin injury.

Rashid Khan is one of the most reliable scorers in KFC SuperCoach BBL.

5. Rashid Khan (Strikers)

No KFC SuperCoach team is complete without Rashid, who along with Sams should be the top target for every coach to build their KFC SuperCoach team around in Round 5. Khan is coming off a ton in Round 5, where he snared a tidy 3/20 from four overs against the batting might of the Sixers. The Strikers have flagged they want to use Khan as their weapon in the power surge with the bat, which is a great sign for his hopes of reaching the magical 20-run mark. Of course, this would be a bonus when so many of Khan’s points come from wickets, economy rate and dot balls. Khan has only scored less than 50 four times in the past three seasons and less than 43 just twice. Khan’s incredible consistency is the greatest reason to pick him, especially when so many KFC SuperCoach scores are volatile.

Going into a double without Chris Lynn is always dangerous.

6. Chris Lynn (Heat)

KFC SuperCoaches who were let down during the Round 1 double will be loathe to pick Lynn again — and there were tens of thousands. But his history in the BBL suggests a monster score isn’t far away and you won’t want to miss out if it comes in the double. The beauty if you’re trading in Lynn for the first time is he’s going to be much cheaper than his starting price for Round 6. Lynn doesn’t have a great record against the Heat’s first Round 6 opponent Melbourne Stars (average 23) but one of his best averages is 71.5 points against the Sixers. Fading him needs to be considered, but the downside if he goes big is enormous.

Sandeep Lamichhane is a perfect buy for KFC SuperCoaches who are short on cash.

7. Sandeep Lamichhanne (Hurricanes)

Bowlers guaranteed to deliver eight overs in a double are gold in KFC SuperCoach. Lamichhanne’s price has remained close to $100k despite a reasonably consistent start to BBL11. That’s a great outcome for KFC SuperCoaches who have waited to add the Nepalese spinner and those eyeing him as a mid-price buy for Round 5 or 6. Lamichhanne doesn’t have a KFC SuperCoach history of big scores but his regular totals of 35-50 are enough to consider for a double game week.

Mujeeb has dropped considerably from his Round 1 price of $208k.

8. Mujeeb ur Rahman (Heat)

Like Lynn, Mujeeb’s price has crashed from $208k at the start of the season and he is likely to be less than $150k by Round 6. He returned 65 points in the Round 1 double game week, which was much less than more than 10 per cent of coaches who made him captain had been hoping for. Mujeeb is one of the major weapons for the Heat, who often go into games with only five bowling options (plus rarely-used Englishman Tom Abell). He’s still been his economical self in the early rounds of BBL11 but coaches who bank on Mujeeb for another double will be praying he increases his wicket-taking output.

Ben McDermott has a huge ceiling in KFC SuperCoach.

9. Ben McDermott (Hurricanes)

McDermott’s high price will be a deterrent for some coaches, but he’s a player capable of making or breaking your double game week. The big-hitting Hurricane had three round totals of 124 points or more last season in KFC SuperCoach and his first knock of the summer after returning from injury netted 76 points. Coaches need to be slightly wary if he’s batting at No. 4 though. The last thing you need is Hobart to be chasing a low total, Wade and Short to knock off the runs and McDermott to be stranded on a low KFC SuperCoach score.

Mark Steketee was one of the top wicket-takers of BBL10.

10. Mark Steketee (Heat) Projected Round 5 price: $170k

It would be easy for KFC SuperCoaches to forget Steketee as he has been away for most of the summer with Australia A and the Ashes squad. The big quick averaged 49 KFC SuperCoach points last season, when he took 24 wickets in 16 matches. While he conceded more than nine runs an over, Steketee’s strike rate of 14 balls per wicket was one of the best in the BBL. His return will put pressure on Xavier Bartlett and Liam Guthrie, two popular picks, to retain their spots.

Mitch Swepson will add another big weapon to Brisbane Heat’s line-up.

11. Mitch Swepson (Heat)

Nathan Lyon’s Test understudy is another who has returned to the Heat after representative duties, playing his first match of BBL11 in Round 3 when he scored 32 KFC SuperCoach points against the Renegades. History suggests he’s more likely to take wickets than Mujeeb but will also concede more runs. That’s something KFC SuperCoaches need to weigh up when deciding between the Heat’s tweakers. If you can’t decide, it could be worth just picking both. Swepson took nine wickets in six matches last summer and has become one of Australia’s most-prolific spinners in the past 18 months.

Tim’s weekly trade plan*

No doubt a lot would need to go right for this to happen and we know that’s rarely the case in KFC SuperCoach BBL. In a perfect world, these are the trades I would make in the next week. If you want to see what I end up with, follow @tim_michell on Twitter.

Round 5

Chris Jordan to Aaron Finch

Matthew Short to D’Arcy Short

Xavier Bartlett to Nathan Ellis

Round 6

Josh Philippe to Matthew Wade

Harry Nielsen/Clarke to Sandeep Lamichanne

Joe Clarke to Mujeeb Ur Rahman

*Pending player price changes and Round 4 trades