KFC SuperCoach BBL: Experts name the 11 must-have players for BBL11
Pick the right double-game round players and you’re halfway to KFC SuperCoach BBL glory. BBL10 champ Chris Baker names the players you need when their team plays twice.
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Double game rounds are vital in KFC SuperCoach BBL.
Players who have a DGW score points from both games for the round. It’s almost like having a few extra players in your squad!
When it comes to selecting players for the DGW, it’s better to focus on quality than quantity. On that basis, BBL10 KFC SuperCoach BBL champion Chris Baker names the 11 players you must have when their club has the DGW this season.
1. Josh Philippe (Sydney Sixers) $177,300 WKP-BAT
Averaged 56.8 in BBL10, when more than 20 per cent of his total score was due to the strike rate bonus. Simply put, he gets his runs quick and scores above the minimum 20 runs as well. In fact he got the SR bonus in 50 per cent of his innings last year. That makes him a very reliable selection.
2. Tom Curran (Sydney Sixers) $201,000 BAT-BWL
Didn’t play in BBL10, but in the two previous seasons he averaged 73 and 71.5 (with slightly different scoring systems) – huge in KFC SuperCoach BBL. The key to Curran’s scoring is wickets. He averaged close to 1.5 per game in BBL08 and BBL09. He also bowls plenty of dot balls and therefore gets an economy bonus regularly.
3. Chris Lynn (Brisbane Heat) $172,500 BAT
Specialist batsmen are usually a risk in KFC SuperCoach, but Lynn is possibly the exception to this rule. During BBL10 he scored 20 or more runs in 10 of his 13 games (the minimum score required for the SR Bonus). Lynn scores his runs at a very high strike rate, so 20 runs can easily become 45 SuperCoach points per game.
4. Rashid Khan (Adelaide Strikers) $198,700 BWL
In BBL10 Khan took 16 wickets in 10 games. He bowls plenty of dot balls (each worth one point) and averaged almost 10 points per game from the economy bonus. He is also a fast-scoring lower order batsman. With the Strikers lacking batting depth this season, he will get plenty of opportunity with bat and ball to post some big KFC SuperCoach scores.
5. Adam Zampa (Melbourne Stars) $169,500 BWL
The Stars spinner was unlucky not to have been named player of the recent T20 World Cup. He took 19 wickets in 12 games during BBL10 and did so economically. In his current form, he is simply irresistible.
MORE: CHRIS BAKER REVEALS HIS KFC SUPERCOACH BBL SQUAD
6. Glenn Maxwell (Melbourne Stars) $195,500 BAT-BWL
Bowls, bats and entertains the crowd. He also scores well in KFC SuperCoach! Maxi has averaged over 60 points per game the past three seasons and will likely do it again this year. He is a classy fielder as well which means he’s always a chance of scoring extra points via catches and run-outs.
7. Mitch Marsh (Perth Scorchers) $132,700 BAT-BWL
Look no further than his 77 not out off 50 balls in a T20 World Cup final. He scored the equivalent of 108 KFC SuperCoach points in that match (107 with the bat, one with the ball). For the Scorchers expect him to also get 3-4 overs bowling where you can expect even more points to be accumulated. Could score 150 points in a game (and twice that when he plays two games in a round). Don’t start him, but don’t miss him when the Scorchers have a DGW in Round 4.
8. Josh Inglis (Perth Scorchers) $133,900 WKP-BAT
Another wicketkeeper-batsman like Phillipe. He averaged 42.8 in BBL10, but with no Jason Roy or Luke Livingstone at the Scorchers this summer you can expect Inglis to bat higher up the order – great news for KFC SuperCoach. He earned 145 SR points last year, so expect him to score quickly again. May also enjoy having stumping/catching points with two spinners at the Scorchers this season (Peter Hatzoglou and Ashton Agar).
9. Matthew Wade (Hobart Hurricanes) $145,900 WKP-BAT
Did I mention wicketkeeper-batsmen? Wade’s heroics in the lower order at the T20 World Cup were career-defining. At the Hurricanes he will most likely lead from the front by opening the batting. Averaged 60-plus in both BBL08 and BBL09.
10. D’Arcy Short (Hobart Hurricanes) $179,600 BAT-BWL
Will open the batting for the Hurricanes alongside Wade. Usually a fast-scoring batsman, but with Wade blasting from the other end he could set himself to bat through the innings instead. Either way, he will earn plenty of KFC SuperCoach points. His bowling has improved and all-rounders typically score well (with fewer low scores during a season as well).
11. Daniel Sams (Sydney Thunder) $203,700 BAT-BWL
Potentially the best all-rounder in BBL11 (with Marnus Labuschagne in the Test squad!). His bowling is amongst the best in the tournament and last season his batting went up a level. Averaged 65.2 in a season impacted by concussion and a wrist injury.
Unfortunately, no Renegades make my best 11, but if I had to choose a player for their DGW it would be Mohammad Nabi. He is an all-rounder coming off a solid T20 World Cup in which he averaged 45.20 points per game.
ISA GUHA’S 11 MUST-HAVE PLAYERS IN SUPERCOACH BBL
KFC SuperCoach with an unlimited budget — now there’s something we can all get behind.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case in Australia’s favourite fantasy cricket game and every coach needs to be selective when it comes to the big guns.
Most KFC SuperCoaches know the key to SuperCoach BBL is targeting the big guns when their double game week rolls around.
So that means in Round 3, when the Stars play twice, you can’t afford not to have Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa.
Then come Round 4 for Perth Scorchers’ double, you’ve got to have Mitch Marsh and Jhye Richardson — pending his release from the Test squad.
These are the 11 must-have players Fox Cricket commentator Isa Guha has identified to lead for KFC SuperCoach charge this summer.
See where she differs from Mike Hussey by scrolling down to see Mr Cricket’s top 11.
1. Mitch Marsh (Perth Scorchers) $132,700 BAT-BWL
After he starred in the T20 World Cup, Marsh will come into the BBL brimming with confidence. It’s a slight hiccup he won’t be available at the start of the tournament but you’ve got to have him by Round 4 when Perth plays twice.
2. Glenn Maxwell (Melbourne Stars) $195,500 BAT-BWL
You can bank on Maxwell, the Stars skipper, to turn it on in the BBL and when he does he fetches big points in KFC SuperCoach. He’s just too risky to leave out.
3. Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Brisbane Heat) $208,200 BWL
Mujeeb is so reliable and generates points in almost every match through his economy and taking wickets.
4. Rashid Khan (Adelaide Strikers) $198,700 BWL
Rashid is a must-have in any KFC SuperCoach team – having done it time and time again for the Strikers in the BBL. He can score well regardless of doubles.
5. Dan Christian (Sydney Sixers) $184,700 BAT-BWL
KFC SuperCoaches can count on him to score runs quickly and pick up wickets at the death, which both equal plenty of points. He just keeps performing wherever he plays around the world.
6. Chris Lynn (Brisbane Heat) $172,500 BAT
You can always count on the Lynnsanity magic at some stage — let’s hope it’s Round 1 when the Heat plays twice.
7. Josh Philippe (Sydney Sixers) $177,300 WKP-BAT
Philippe has developed into a super-consistent opener for Sixers. With another year of experience behind him and plenty of Shield runs, he will be looking to dominate again.
8. Daniel Sams (Sydney Thunder) $203,700 BAT-BWL
Sams is a proven wicket-taker in the BBL and showed last summer he can deal some blows with the bat towards the end of the innings.
9. Jhye Richardson (Perth Scorchers) $201,200 BWL
Injury-free Jhye is one of the most exciting talents in the BBL. He’s part of Australia’s Ashes squad though, so don’t pick him unless he’s released to play for the Scorchers.
10. Adam Zampa (Melbourne Stars) $169,500 BWL
Zampa was integral to Australia’s World Cup victory. He’s a top-three limited overs leg spinner in the world.
11. D’Arcy Short (Hobart Hurricanes) $179,600 BAT-BWL
Explosive at the top and will score big points if he plays a lot of games in Hobart. Back him to be in the game with the ball too.
MIKE HUSSEY’S 11 MUST-HAVE PLAYERS REVEALED
There are a host of quality options available to KFC SuperCoach BBL players, and it was difficult to whittle down my must-haves list to just 11.
My XI considers all-rounders with dual points scoring potential, big-hitters batting inside the top three, wicket-takers who bowl at the death, availability and value for money.
With many of these players being high-priced, it will be impossible to fit them all in – but I will be trying to stack my side with as many of them as I can!
However, I expect these players to be regular fixtures in KFC SuperCoach BBL teams across the country.
Find out Mike Hussey’s 11 must-haves for KFC SuperCoach BBL, in no particular order – and check back to see who our other experts name as their must-have picks this summer.
1. Dan Christian (Sydney Sixers) $184,700 BAT-BWL
The 38-year-old has so much experience and he has got the double game round first up. Christian is a dangerous hitter towards the back-end of the innings and he is also pretty wily with the ball, so he’s a good player to have early on.
2. Tom Curran (Sydney Sixers) $201,000 BAT-BWL
Curran bowls overs at the death, when he is a big chance to pick up wickets – and plenty of KFC SuperCoach points. He is also pretty dynamic as a batter, and the Sixers generally use a lot of their batting reserves, so he should get enough opportunities. The Round 1 double makes him even more of a must-have.
3. Aaron Finch (Melbourne Renegades) $62,500 BAT
A no-brainer as a rookie-priced gun. Finch is unbelievably cheap for a player of his calibre, who will be batting at the top of the order and be available for KFC SuperCoach sides all season.
4. Rashid Khan (Adelaide Strikers) $198,800 BWL
The Afghan tweaker is the best T20 bowler in the world in my view, and always seems to perform well for the Strikers. Put simply, he’s a gun, and he is locked in my side, with the Round 2 double looming large.
5. Mitch Marsh (Perth Scorchers) $132,700 BAT-BWL
Marsh is in unbelievable touch batting high in the order, blasting 158 runs in his last three innings at the T20 World Cup, including his unbeaten 77 from 50 in the final. Riding on the wave of a World Cup win, I am expecting him to take his form into the Big Bash when available, after his call-up for Australia A.
6. Glenn Maxwell (Melbourne Stars) $195,500 BAT-BWL
Maxwell is an extremely versatile points scorer in KFC SuperCoach BBL. The Melbourne Stars skipper should be batting in the top four, as he has in previous seasons, bowls handy overs and is a gun in the field, generally stationed in the areas where catches come.
7. Josh Philippe (Sydney Sixers) $177,300 WKP-BAT
There are only three things you need to know about Philippe if he is playing – he is going to be batting at the top, he is going to be dynamic scorer and he has got the Round 1 double. A pretty attractive proposition and an early must-have.
8. Daniel Sams (Sydney Thunder) $203,700 BAT-BWL
Same theory as Tom Curran. He bowls overs at the death and generally picks up plenty of wickets – he’s always up there in wicket-taking ranks in the BBL. Sams is also a dangerous hitter when he comes in and goes real hard right from the start.
9. D’Arcy Short (Hobart Hurricanes) $179,600 BAT-BWL
Coming off a lean season with the bat, Short offers value as another player with multiple scoring avenues. His wrist spinners are improving all the time, so I expect some handy overs out of him.
10. Marcus Stoinis (Melbourne Stars) $163,200 BAT-BWL
Stoinis is relatively underpriced for what he can produce, given he was hardly used with the ball in BBL10 due to injury. It will be interesting to see whether he returns to the top of the order for the Stars after his World Cup feats in the middle order, but I am tipping a big season from the all-rounder.
11. Adam Zampa (Melbourne Stars) $169,500 BWL
Zampa has been of the T20 bowlers in the world in the past few years, and is coming off back of a stunning T20 World Cup campaign. He is generally a consistent wicket-taker throughout the BBL, so the leg-spinner is a good player to have – especially early, as the Stars have the Round 3 double.
Honourable mentions: I am a big fan of Alex Hales ($183,900 BAT) who has been here for a few seasons now and is just unstoppable at the top of the order. Kane Richardson ($152,000 BWL) is such a clever bowler and he is one to consider, particularly for his games at Marvel Stadium, where his bowling suits. The move to the middle order for Josh Inglis ($133,800, WKP/BAT) has worked wonders and he is a 360-degree batter who plays spin really well. On the fringes of the Australian side, motivation will be high for him during the BBL season.
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Originally published as KFC SuperCoach BBL: Experts name the 11 must-have players for BBL11
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