KFC SuperCoach BBL: 11 players who start BBL12 severely underpriced

To build the strongest starting team in KFC SuperCoach BBL you need to squeeze the most points out of every dollar. Here are 11 guns who should cost a lot more.

The key to KFC SuperCoach in all its form is to make the most of your salary cap – and it’s no different in the BBL.

There are the expensive stars who just have to pay the money for, and the cheapies that form the backbone of every good team.

But it’s often the bargains in between that can make or break a KFC SuperCoach BBL summer.

Here are 11 undervalued players to consider.

Jhye Richardson (Scorchers)

$149,500 BWL

The Australian speedster has been one of the BBL’s standout performers in recent summers when available for Perth Scorchers. Last season he started the tournament with a KFC SuperCoach price tag of $201k and in BBL10 his price got as high as $255k. In fact, Richardson has topped $200k in the past three seasons. Perth has a bye in round 1 but he should be one of your top trade targets for round 2. Two seasons ago Richardson posted five tons in seven rounds, highlighting his SuperCoach ceiling.

D’Arcy Short (Hurricanes)

$148,200 BAT/BWL

While the Hobart all-rounder’s form and role frustrated KFC SuperCoaches last season, a price tag of anything less than $150k for one of the BBL’s all-time stars represents real value. Short is likely to bat in the top three, should get a bowl and has a point to prove after one of his quieter campaigns last season. Despite that, he still averaged more than 50 points a game, was the eighth-highest point scorer of BBL11 and posted 98 points or more in four rounds.

D’Arcy Short is a champion of KFC SuperCoach BBL. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Travis Head (Strikers)

$125,000 BAT-BWL

The Australian Test batter played just four matches in the BBL last summer. The season prior gives a better indication of how Head has performed on the few occasions he has played for the Strikers in the past 4-5 seasons. Five of his seven round scores were 64 points or better. He’s unlikely to feature until mid-season, but the Strikers’ round 9 double looms as the perfect time to jump on. Head is only this cheap due to hardly featuring in the BBL in the past two seasons.

Shadab Khan (Hurricanes)

$125,000 BAT-BWL

Forget the limited exposure we had to Shadab as a Sixer last season. The Pakistani T20 star is one of the best all-rounders in the shortest format and will get ample opportunity to make his mark for Hobart after being snapped up as a first-round selection in the BBL draft. Khan only batted twice for the Sixers, coming in at No.6 and No.9. He also only bowled nine overs across five matches. For Pakistan, he has been batting in the top four and bowling at least three overs consistently. That’s more indicative of what his role at the Hurricanes is likely to be, and it could be a KFC SuperCoach goldmine.

Alex Carey could be a great buy for the run home. Picture: AAP Image/Gary Day

Alex Carey (Strikers)

$121,400 BAT-WKP

With a BBL average of 35 from 51 innings and 50 catches, Carey is significantly underpriced for his potential scoring. Two seasons ago – when he last played for the Strikers – he started the summer at $165k and peaked at $191k. The only time Carey has been this cheap in KFC SuperCoach was the 2016-17 campaign, when he was a $42k rookie and only played the last game of the tournament. Since then he has established himself as Australia’s No.1 gloveman and a regular run scorer when he plays for the Strikers.

Matthew Wade (Hurricanes)

$120,400 BAT-WKP

While BBL09 feels like a long time ago, KFC SuperCoaches who played that summer will remember Wade’s back-to-back 200 scores fondly. He scored 204 and 224 in rounds 12 and 13 that season, finishing the summer at more than double his starting price ($242k) for BBL12. Wade is another of the Australian players who is heavily discounted, although he did feature in 12 rounds last season. His form as Australia’s T20 finisher has been incredible but expect Wade to slot back in at the top of the order for the Hurricanes, a role he has performed with aplomb over much of his BBL career.

Mujeeb ur Rahman (Renegades)

$111,800 BWL

The Afghani spin star was one of the most expensive players in KFC SuperCoach at the start of last season at $187k after finishing BBL10 with a price tag above $200k. Yet this season with fifth-ranked T20 bowler in the world is the 42nd most expensive bowling option in KFC SuperCoach. Mujeeb has long been a hit-and-miss KFC SuperCoach option as he relies almost solely on his bowling for points. This is indicated by three round scores below eight last season as well as scores of 95 and 106. He’s priced at about 38 points and eclipsed or reached that mark in five of his nine rounds last summer.

Adam Zampa will be a key to the Stars’ BBL campaign. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Adam Zampa (Stars)

$103,600 BWL

Round 1 double. Seventh-ranked T20 bowler in the world. Australia’s premier white-ball spinner. Need we say more? Zampa was $157k to start last season and the last time he was this cheap was in round 4 of the 2016-17 season. Glenn Maxwell showed a liking to using Zampa at the death last season which increased his chance of taking wickets. The additions of Trent Boult and Luke Wood might see him revert to a more traditional spin role in the middle of the innings, but Zampa is dangerous whenever he bowls. He averages a wicket every three overs bowled in the BBL.

Adam Hose (Strikers)

$105,000 BAT

English batters with no exposed BBL form have traditionally been KFC SuperCoach kryptonite. Could Hose be the exception to the rule? The English opener has a round 1 double, will almost certainly bat in the top three and is coming off a Vitality Blast campaign where he scored 557 runs at an average of 55 and strike rate of 160. If he goes even close to replicating those type of numbers, $105k will be an absolute steal. Chris Lynn is only $7k more, but that could help ensure Hose is a real POD option for the opening round.

EXPERT ADVICE: OUR TEAM REVEAL THEIR SUPERCOACH BBL SIDES

South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw lit up the T20 World Cup. Picture: David Gray / AFP

Rilee Rossouw (Thunder)

$105,000 BAT

The South African has been transformed since returning to the Proteas’ national set-up. Russouw has been one of the most prolific T20 batters in the world throughout 2022, ranking second for total runs in the Vitality Blast (623). Russouw and the Thunder are scheduled to play four games in the opening two rounds in KFC SuperCoach and if he lives up to his talent, he could be one of the best cash generators of the early rounds of BBL12. He averaged 17.5 for the Renegades two seasons ago but has hit a rich vein of form at the right time for the Thunder – and KFC SuperCoaches. In October he smashed 100 not out from 48 balls against India in a T20 international.

Marcus Stoinis (Stars)

$83,400 BAT-BWL

We don’t blame you if you had to double or triple check this price – yes, Stoinis is only $83k this season. This is the same all-rounder who started last summer at $163k, BBL10 at $182k and BBL09 at $259k. Stoinis hasn’t bowled much in the past few seasons for the Stars, but his recent return to the bowling crease for Australia was encouraging. Even if he’s just playing as an opening batter, $83k is well under the true value Stoinis represents. Even when he wasn’t at his best last season, two his round scores were 55 and 110 and Stoinis is priced at about 29 points a game.

Originally published as KFC SuperCoach BBL: 11 players who start BBL12 severely underpriced