SuperCoach BBL: Can Mitch Marsh repeat his heroics during Round 9 double?
Perth Scorchers captain Mitch Marsh was one of the stars of Round 8, scoring 175 after his 93 not out from 41 balls. Can he repeat those heroics during a Round 9 double? TRADE GUIDE.
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The biggest recruit in BBL history is here.
South African legend AB De Villiers will make his Brisbane Heat debut in Round 9 in a home fixture against Adelaide Strikers.
De Villiers comes with a high price tag of $225,000 in SuperCoach BBL, however his career T20 numbers suggest he could justify paying top dollar from this round.
He has averaged 37.5 with a strike rate of 149.9 from 304 career T20s.
🙌 @ABdeVilliers17 is almost here! #BringTheHeat #BBL09 pic.twitter.com/UFU3WRJVMp
— Brisbane Heat (@HeatBBL) January 10, 2020
This year, De Villiers was the third highest run scorer in South Africa’s Mzansi Super League with 325 runs at 46.4 and made 348 runs at 69.6 in England’s Vitality Blast.
He has signed with the Heat for six matches, plus finals, and will be available for the club’s Round 13 double.
He’ll be a must-have then, but whether you can squeeze him in from Round 9 will come down to several factors.
7 sleeps until @ABdeVilliers17 arrives ✈ï¸#BringTheHeat #BBL09 pic.twitter.com/MGpydip5PT
— Brisbane Heat (@HeatBBL) January 5, 2020
Perth Scorchers have their third double in Round 9 and if you already have Jhye Richardson, Liam Livingstone and Mitch Marsh, De Villiers becomes a realistic target.
You’ll then need a fair bit of spare change unless you are happy to part with a premium scorer.
At the start of Round 8, De Villiers was one of only nine players above $200,000.
He needs to average about 80 points a game to hold his starting price, the equivalent of scoring a half-century from 25 balls with a few boundaries every match.
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The likelihood is De Villiers will be available for closer to $200,000 before Round 13, but as always, you risk missing out of huge scores by not having SuperCoach BBL’s most damaging players, a category he comfortably fits into.
Sydney Sixers have a bye before their Round 10 double, complicating this round’s trades, as you’ll need money spare to ensure you have Tom Curran and Josh Philippe.
TOP TARGETS
Mitch Marsh (Perth Scorchers) BAT-BWL
Previous double scores: 40, 169
The Scorchers skipper was set to jump in price before Perth’s Round 9 double after scores of 67 and 102 in Round 6. Ashton Agar has averaged more than three overs a game in BBL09 and the Scorchers will need to replace his overs while he’s with the Australian one-day squad in India. Marsh could be the beneficiary after taking 2-10 from two overs in Perth’s Round 7 victory over Melbourne Renegades in Geelong.
Jhye Richardson (Perth Scorchers) BWL
Previous double scores: 137, 190
Richardson has been the dominant player across Perth’s two doubles, averaging 163.5 points in rounds three and six. The paceman is another Scorcher who was set to surge in price as a result of his heroics in Round 6, when he smashed 33 not out from 14 balls against Hobart then snared 3-22 from four overs against the Renegades. That took him to seven wickets for the tournament, one behind leading teammates Chris Jordan and Fawad Ahmed.
Liam Livingstone (Perth Scorchers) BAT-BWL
Previous double scores: 143, 159
The Englishman has saved his best for both of Perth’s doubles, plundering 69 against Adelaide in the first of the Scorchers’ Round 3 fixtures and 59 against the Renegades. Livingstone took wickets against Brisbane Heat and Hobart Hurricanes in recent games and if there’s an indication in Round 8 he’ll fill the Agar void, you won’t want to miss out.
Chris Jordan (Perth Scorchers) BWL
Previous double scores: 127, 31
It’s time for forgiveness. Jordan was a popular captaincy choice in Round 6 when he struggled, finishing with 0-79 across two matches and 31 SuperCoach points. However, it’s worth noting his scores before then were 84, 94, 25, 102 and 52, premium numbers for a SuperCoach bowler. Just because he battled in Round 6, it doesn’t mean he’ll flop again.
Fawad Ahmed (Perth Scorchers) BWL
Previous double scores: 77, 49
Ahmed is all but guaranteed to bowl eight overs across Round 9 as the lead spinner. He’s been an up-and-down scorer, posting 77 across two games in Round 3 before pumping out 123 in Round 4. His score then dropped to 49 in a Round 6 double which included the second lowest score for Perth against the Renegades — seven. The major plus is he’ll be cheaper than the four players mentioned above.
Josh Inglis (Perth Scorchers) WKP-BAT
Previous double scores: 130, 80
Those desperate to move Sam Harper on should look no further than Inglis. Unlike Harper, who has opened and batted at No. 3 and No. 6 for the Renegades, Inglis has an assured role at the top of the order. Only Marsh (214) and Livingstone (184) had more runs for Perth after seven rounds and Inglis’ strike rate of 148.7 is elite. His price is likely to be close enough to Harper’s for a simple upgrade.
AB De Villiers (Brisbane Heat) BAT
If you’re flush with cash and don’t want to risk missing out on one De Villiers score, it’s the time to strike. There’s enough decent downgrade options you could bring in the South African star by using the one-up, one-down method. That essentially means downgrading a mid-priced player worth about $150,000 and upgrading one of similar value to make up the difference and reach De Villiers’ price.
Usman Khawaja (Sydney Thunder) BAT
Khawaja was the 13th-highest run scorer in the BBL after seven rounds with an average of 26.5 and strike rate of 131.6. Those aren’t premium numbers, but he’s too cheap to ignore at close to $100,000. It’s not ideal that the Thunder don’t have a double in the remaining rounds, but how often can you grab a player of Khawaja’s class for such a low price? He’s the perfect downgrade to free up money for De Villiers.
Qais Ahmad (Hobart Hurricanes) BWL
The leg-spinner started BBL09 with a score of 180 but hasn’t scored above 43 since. His consistency is at least one appealing quality for potential buyers, with five scores between 35 and 43 from rounds 2-7. Hobart has a double game week in Round 12 when Ahmad should be a priority. After jumping to $214,800 after three rounds, his price will likely be $80,000-$90,000 less than that after Round 8.
ROUND 9 FIXTURES (Times in AEDT)
Hurricanes v Scorchers — Blundstone Arena, Hobart, January 13, 7.10pm
Heat v Strikers — The Gabba, Brisbane, January 14, 3.40pm
Thunder v Renegades — Manuka Oval, Canberra, January 15, 6.10pm
Scorchers v Stars — Optus Stadium, Perth, January 15, 9.10pm
Bye: Sixers
Originally published as SuperCoach BBL: Can Mitch Marsh repeat his heroics during Round 9 double?
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