BBL 10 preview: Hobart Hurricanes squad, best KFC SuperCoach buys

Boosted by the signings of stars including the world’s No.1 batter, Hobart Hurricanes loom as a leading BBL contender. See our SuperCoach tips and in-depth team analysis.

Someone sound the weather warning — the Hurricanes mean business.

Hobart has signalled its intent with a series of top-quality signings, headlined by the world’s No.1 ranked T20 batter Dawid Malan.

The Englishman will be joined in Hobart by his compartiot Will Jacks, the MVP from this year’s Vitality Blast.

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Hurricanes recruit Keemo Paul in action for West Indies during the second Twenty20 International match against New Zealand. Picture: MICHAEL BRADLEY/AFP

Emerging West Indian all-rounder Keemo Paul and leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane will also join Hobart after BBL teams were permitted to play three internationals in any game.

D’Arcy Short will be available for most of — if not the full — tournament — while the Hurricanes will hardly lack firepower when Matthew Wade is away with the Test side.

The lack of a frontline spinner until Lamichhane arrives is an obvious hole, but Jacks and Short can fill that role when needed.

Starting in a Tasmanian hub, Hobart has the perfect chance to stamp its title credentials early.

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BBL10 SQUAD

Scott Boland, Tim David, Jake Doran, Nathan Ellis, James Faulkner, Peter Handscomb, Colin Ingram (SA), Will Jacks (Eng), Sandeep Lamichhane (Nep), Dawid Malan (Eng), Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, David Moody, Mitch Owen, Tim Paine, Wil Parker, Keemo Paul (WI), D’Arcy Short, Matthew Wade (c), Nick Winter, Mac Wright.

In: Peter Handscomb (Stars), Nick Winter (Strikers), Dawid Malan (Eng), Will Jacks (Eng), Colin Ingram (SA), Tim David (Perth Scorchers), Keemo Paul (WI), Sandeep Lamichhane (Stars)

Out: George Bailey, Caleb Jewell, Simon Milenko, David Miller, Tom Rogers, Qais Ahmad, Clive Rose, Aaron Summers.

Internationals: Will Jacks (Eng), Colin Ingram (SA, replacement player), Dawid Malan (Eng), Sandeep Lamichhane (Nep), Keemo Paul (WI).

KFC SuperCoach doubles: Round 2

KFC SuperCoach byes: None

D’Arcy Short has been a prolific KFC SuperCoach BBL scorer for several years.

KEY SUPERCOACH BBL PLAYERS

D’Arcy Short BAT-BWL ($245,200) BBL09 Avg: 85.7

Short and Marcus Stoinis have been the leading SuperCoach BBL players of the past two seasons. The Hurricanes slugger was valuable enough when he was plundering balls out of Bellerive Oval, as he did when he was the leading run scorer of BBL08 with 637 runs at 53.1. Short’s increased bowling load only added to his appeal as a KFC SuperCoach target last season. The left-arm tweaker showed his capabilities with the ball when he took 5-21 against Sydney Thunder. That game showed how volatile SuperCoach BBL can be — Short scored a duck and seemed destined for a low score but his five-wicket haul propelled him to 160 points.

Matthew Wade formed a dominant partnership with D’Arcy Short in BBL09 after returning from Test duties.

Matthew Wade WKP-BAT ($181,000) BBL09 Avg: 63.2

The Test series against India will likely keep Wade out of the BBL until mid-January, but make sure he’s on your SuperCoach radar for the back end of the tournament. When he returned to the Hurricanes in BBL09, Wade posted four scores of 56 or better in seven innings. That included an incredible 61-ball 130 against Adelaide Strikers where he clubbed seven sixes and went at a strike rate of 213. That knock was worth 224 points and helped launch coaches with Wade in their teams up the SuperCoach rankings. Batsmen can be hit and miss, no doubt, but when they’re as destructive as Wade it’s almost too risky not to have them.

Speedster Riley Meredith had 10 wickets in six games before his BBL09 was cut short by injury.

Riley Meredith BWL ($184,600) BBL09 Avg: 64.5

It’s easy to forget just how good Meredith was at the start of BBL09 before going down with injury. The Tasmanian quick averaged 64.5 SuperCoach points in six matches to open the tournament, taking 10 wickets, including a season-best haul of 3-26 as the Hurricanes skittled Melbourne Renegades on Christmas eve. One of the most impressive aspects of that form was his economy rate. Meredith has a career economy of 8.2 runs an over from 21 BBL games but was only conceding 6.7 runs an over in BBL09. The absence of Jofra Archer puts the onus on Meredith to be the strike weapon for Hobart.

Englishman Dawid Malan is the world’s No.1 ranked Twenty20 batsman.

Dawid Malan BAT ($175,000)

Malan has been linked with several BBL clubs in recent seasons and the Hurricanes won the race for the world’s No.1 ranked Twenty20 batsman for BBL10. The top-order batsman has a formidable record, averaging 48.7 from 16 T20 internationals and 33 from 210 career Twenty20 games. English batsmen haven’t enjoyed great success in the BBL and signing a big-name international doesn’t guarantee success. Just look at Hobart’s marquee recruit David Miller (198 runs at 22 in BBL09). Malan will form a key plank in an imposing top five for Hobart when Test batsman Matthew Wade is available. With Malan, Wade, D’Arcy Short, Peter Handscomb and Ben McDermott, the Hurricanes have assembled one of the most potent batting line-ups in BBL history.

Will Jacks BAT-BWL ($148,000)

The English rising star rocketed into almost five per cent of teams within days of signing for Hobart. Jacks was the MVP in England’s Vitality Blast this year (309 runs and 13 wickets), earmarking himself as a star of the future. KFC SuperCoaches will be hopeful he translates that type of form down under quickly. He averaged about two and a half overs a game in England’s T20 competition but could share spin duties with D’Arcy Short if the Hurricanes don’t sign a senior spinner. He’s likely to bat in the top three, especially while Dawid Malan is in South Africa.

Sandeep Lamichhane celebrates a wicket against his new BBL employers.

Sandeep Lamichhane BWL ($138,300) BBL09 avg: 48.3

The Nepalese leg-spinner will link with the Hurricanes in January — missing the club’s Round 2 double. But by that point KFC SuperCoaches will have hopefully built their bank enough to target a player such as Lamichhane for rounds where no team plays twice. At $138,300, he’s affordable and has a proven history in the BBL. Lamichhane took 15 wickets in 13 BBL09 games at 1.15 a game, an average not far behind Rashid Khan’s 1.26. By not playing early he avoids the rounds where games and going to be played on batsmen-friendly pitches in Hobart and Canberra. That could be a bonus if he gets conditions more suited to his talents.

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BEST LINE-UP

Matthew Wade

D’Arcy Short

Dawid Malan

Will Jacks

Peter Handscomb

Ben McDermott

James Faulkner

Keemo Paul

Nathan Ellis

Riley Meredith

Sandeep Lamichhane

PREDICTIONS

FINISHING POSITION

The Phantom: 3rd - International stars and, more importantly, top-shelf replacements when they aren’t here. If it all comes together, Hobart areis a real threat.

Tim Michell: 3rd - The Hurricanes are packed with talent and I love the mid-season addition of Sandeep Lamichhane. He’ll give them a real spark.

TOP KFC SUPERCOACH BBL SCORER

The Phantom: D’Arcy Short - Expensive, but worth every cent.

Tim Michell: D’Arcy Short - just pay big bucks, get him from the start and leave him in your team throughout BBL10. He’ll only burn you if you don’t have him

BURNING QUESTIONS

Can Will Jacks bring his Vitality Blast form down under?

One of the rising stars of English white-ball cricket, Jacks flourished in this year’s Vitality Blast and was crowned the MVP of England’s T20 tournament. A top-order batsman and off-spin bowler from Surrey, Jacks made 309 runs (average 34.3) and took 13 wickets, including a haul of 4-15. He’s largely an unknown outside England, but those sort of numbers will have him in the sights of T20 franchises around the world. Jofra Archer launched himself to superstardom at the Hurricanes. Could Jacks be next?

Is D’Arcy Short worth paying the big bucks for?

At $245,200, Short is the most-expensive player in KFC SuperCoach BBL. The high starting price is justified when you consider the opener’s numbers from last season — 357 runs at an average of 44.6 (strike rate 131.3) and six wickets. However, Hobart isn’t scheduled to have a double until Round 8 and you can make a strong case two $120,000 Sixers could outscore him during their glut of early games. Only Jackson Coleman (102, one game) had a better average than Short last season and he showed his monster ceiling with a KFC SuperCoach score of 173 against Perth Scorchers last season. The beauty about owning Short from the start would be saving a trade come Round 8 and benefiting from having him for half a season when other coaches don’t. It’s a lineball decision.

Hobart hasn’t needed James Faulkner with the bat often in the past two seasons.

Have we seen the best of ‘The Finisher?’

The go-to all-rounder in Aussie white-ball cricket a few summers ago, James Faulkner hasn’t had a big impact with the bat for Hobart in the past two years. He only batted six times in BBL08 for 38 runs and had a high score of five from five innings in BBL09. It might be unfair to judge completely on runs considering he only faced nine balls last season and 33 in BBL08 which underlines his lack of opportunity. In three innings this season for University of Tasmania he has scores of 25 (68 balls), 142 (133) and 75 (58). That bodes well if he’s needed with the bat in BBL10. He’s been a big contributor with the ball with 25 wickets in 20 games since crossing from Melbourne Stars and still has plenty to offer as a key figure for Hobart.

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What does the top-five look like?

The Hurricanes have bolstered their batting ranks during the off-season, bringing in Victorian skipper Peter Handscomb from Melbourne Stars to complement their international signings Dawid Malan, Will Jacks and Colin Ingram. They will help offset the absence of Matthew Wade, who will be on Test duties until about Round 9. The Hurricanes could have a top-six of Wade, Short, Jacks, Malan, Handscomb and Ben McDermott during the run home, an ominous prospect for any bowler. If there’s that much quality ahead of them, Handscomb and McDermott’s KFC SuperCoach stocks will take a hit.

Originally published as BBL 10 preview: Hobart Hurricanes squad, best KFC SuperCoach buys