It’s time to go heavy on Melbourne Stars players ahead of Round 7

They’ve had a double game week in Round 5, a rest in Round 6 and they’re fronting up for a DGW in Round 7 so it is your mission this week to trade in the top Melbourne Stars players to set your team up for glory this round.

Glenn Maxwell of the Stars is in a rich vein of form

They’ve had a double game week in Round 5, a rest in Round 6 and they’re fronting up for a DGW in Round 7 so it is your mission this week to trade in the top Melbourne Stars players to set your team up for glory this round.

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There’s been some movement at the title contenders with Adam Zampa and Peter Handscomb set to depart with the ODI team and therefore will miss this round against the Thunder and Renegades.

Dale Steyn has finished his BBL stint with the Stars with Haris Rauf confirmed to be his permanent replacement after news broke of incoming trade target Pat Brown’s stress fracture in his back which will rule him out of the remainder of the season.

PLAYERS TO TARGET IN ROUND 7

GLENN MAXWELL ($196,300) & MARCUS STOINIS ($212,900)

Maxwell is averaging a very healthy 73.8 points this season and can seemingly do no wrong and while Stoinis is a bit dearer, he is worth having nonetheless. Hopefully you have carried one or both over from Round 5 to make it easier for you – you’ll need them this week!

HARIS RAUF ($159,700) BWL

Cult hero and Pakistani quick Haris Rauf will stay on at the Stars and should spearhead the bowling attack after taking 10 wickets in three matches so far. Worth forking out for and is an absolute must-grab this round.

SANDEEP LAMICHHANE ($147,700) BWL

A score of 102 wasn’t a combined effort in the Stars’ double in Round 5 – it was just one game after the Nepalese spinner missed one match with an injury. It’s a wicket for the bowlers at Marvel Stadium so consider him strongly considering he’ll bowl his max overs.

PLAYERS TO TRADE OUT IN ROUND 7

There are a raft of BBL players departing for India with the ODI squad however an early match between the Strikers and Sixers at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday afternoon ensures that Alex Carey ($175,800 WKP/BAT) will captain Adelaide in Round 7 before taking off with the squad in a win for the 24,000 teams that own him. The same can be said for Peter Handscomb ($118,800 WKP/BAT) and Adam Zampa ($159,400 | BWL) will play in Wednesday night’s game against the Thunder but may still miss the Melbourne derby against the ‘Gades.

That means that you’ll need to trade out Aaron Finch ($136,000 | BAT), Ashton Agar ($131,800 | BAT / BWL), Kane Richardson ($190,400 | BWL), D'Arcy Short ($195,300 | BAT/BWL) and Ashton Turner ($101,700 | BAT).

PERTH PLAYERS

All the talk was about how Cam Bancroft ($101,300) and Josh Inglis ($145,200) were must-buys ahead of Round 6 and well … they combined for just four points in the first game of their DGW, in which the former left more than 8,000 teams with a donut. Ouch! The Scorchers have the bye, so either boot them or bench them coming into Round 7. Aside from those players, here are a few that could be moved on in order to make way for DGW options.

CALLUM FERGUSON ($183,300)

Undoubtedly on the chopping block after two sub-par performances. Ferguson managed only 21 points in Round 5 against the Stars and was good for only 7 points against the Heat.

BEN CUTTING ($140,500)

Romance waits for nobody in SuperCoach and releasing somebody like Cutting in order to bring in one of the fleet of Stars from Melbourne (pun intended) could help your team in Round 7.

JAMES FAULKNER ($188,000 | BAT/BWL)

If you’re holding onto Faulkner, it’s time to trade him out since he won’t be returning until Round 10 thanks to a calf injury. The gun all-rounder is still in more than 8,000 teams which is too much coin to be sitting on your bench. A straight swap of sorts for Glenn Maxwell would be ideal.

ADELAIDE STRIKERS TEAM UPDATE AHEAD OF ROUND 7

Returning Test player Travis Head ($195, 100 | BAT / BWL) won’t feature for the Strikers in Round 7 but the good news is that Wes Agar ($97, 400 | BWL) and cheapie Harry Nielsen ($42,000) will suit up Wednesday night against the Sixers.

SYDNEY SIXERS TEAM UPDATE AHEAD OF ROUND 7

Moises Henriques attended the birth of his child in Round 6 and won’t play in Round 7 either, meaning the Sixers will go in unchanged and Dan Hughes will skipper the side. After a stunning Test series, Nathan Lyon won’t come into the Sixers side yet having earned a rest after his efforts against the Kiwis.

CAPTAIN CHOICES

Most will award the captaincy to either Maxwell or Stoinis for obvious reasons but for the risk-takers and those that want to be a little bit different, Rauf provides a great option as well.

Originally published as It’s time to go heavy on Melbourne Stars players ahead of Round 7