KFC SuperCoach BBL late mail: Andre Russell signs with Melbourne Stars

Dre Russ is officially back in the BBL, while Aaron Finch will be sidelined beyond Round 1. Get the latest BBL gossip.

The news never stops in KFC SuperCoach and Round 1 has been full of huge talking points — with plenty still to come.

There’s been a host of replacement players added, an Andre Russell signing and news which will shape the Sixers’ team for the second game of their double.

Get the latest KFC SuperCoach chatter below.

DRE RUSS TO DEBUT ON FRIDAY

West Indian all-rounder Andre Russell will play the first of five games for Melbourne Stars on Friday.

Russell is currently in quarantine but will be unleashed at the MCG for the Stars against Sydney Thunder.

Importantly for KFC SuperCoaches, it means he will be available for the Stars’ Round 3 double as well.

“To have someone of Andre’s quality play for the Melbourne Stars is a huge signing for our club. We want our Stars family to watch the best players in action at the MCG and Andre is world class,” Stars coach David Hussey said.

The Stars will get more international firepower in the form of Pakistani quick Haris Rauf, who became a fan favourite in BBL09.

Rauf was one of the great KFC SuperCoach rookie buys that summer, taking 20 wickets in 10 matches including a haul of 5-27 against the Hurricanes.

He will play his first game of BBL11 on December 27 against the Brisbane Heat and will remain with the Stars until the end of the season.

Andre Russell will debut for Melbourne Stars on Friday.

FINCH RULED OUT

The best cheapie of the summer in KFC SuperCoach is officially missing the first two rounds.

Aaron Finch failed a late fitness test and missed Melbourne Renegades’ clash with Adelaide Strikers.

Finch had been struggling with a knee issue leading into the game, with coach David Saker adamant a call would not be made until match day.

The Renegades will also be without new skipper Nic Maddinson and veteran Shaun Marsh until mid-December, leaving them with a very inexperienced side.

Their top four against the Strikers was: Mackenzie Harvey, Sam Harper, Jake Fraser-McGurk, James Seymour.

Finch told Channel 7 on Wednesday: “I think realistically we will push for the third game. With the next game being so quick in Adelaide I think that will probably be unlikely as well.”

That was confirmed on Thursday when the Stars released a 14-player squad without Finch.

Aaron Finch hasn’t quite recovered from his knee injury and won’t play for the @RenegadesBBL tonight. @FoxCricket#BBL11

— Tom Morris (@tommorris32) December 7, 2021

ABBOTT TO MISS, CHRISTIAN TRAVELS

KFC SuperCoaches who were hoping for a few bonus points from Sean Abbott will be disappointed.

Abbott has reportedly stayed in Sydney while he prepares for the birth of his child.

The Aussie seamer still proved a great Round 1 purchase after scoring 111 against the Stars.

The news is better for thousands of coaches who invested in Dan Christian, who is expected to play in the second game of the Sixers’ Round 1 double.

❌ Sean Abbott ($169k BWL)@SixersBBL confirm Abbott has NOT flown to Tasmania for tonight's game v @HurricanesBBL due to imminent birth of child

✅ Dan Christian ($184k BAT/BWL)

DC flown with squad, expected to play after wife gave birth on Monday#SuperCoach#BBL#BBL11

— Honeyball BBL 🏏 (@HoneyballBBL) December 8, 2021

Jordan Cox hits a ball through the covers for Mosman.

HURRICANES UNVEIL ENGLISH DUO

Hobart Hurricanes have unveiled two Englishman as replacement players after being hit with a Covid scare on the eve of their opening game of BBL11.

English all-rounder Jordan Thompson will remain in NSW after being deemed a contact of a Covid case and has been replaced by fellow all-rounder Tom Lammonby.

Lammonby, who has been playing for Manly-Warringah in the NSW grade competition, is a left-handed batter and left-arm fast-medium bowler.

The Hurricanes have also plucked English batter Jordan Cox to replace Harry Brook, who will have a delayed start after being chosen in the English Lions squad.

Like Lammonby, Cox has been playing in NSW and made 42 in his most recent innings for Mosman.

He has also been wicketkeeping but is unlikely to fill that role for Hobart.

Cox has played 29 career T20s for an average of 33.3 at a strike rate of 132.6.

The Hurricanes have suffered a further blow with Ben McDermott out until after Christmas due to groin surgery.

A club statement said: “He will be unavailable for selection for tomorrow’s match, however the Hurricanes are hopeful he will be able to return to play before Christmas.”

He has been replaced in their squad by spinner Tom Andrews.

STARS PREPARE FOR CAVALRY TO RETURN

Melbourne Stars will be able to call on a host of stars as soon as next round after a horror loss against the Sixers to open the campaign.

KFC SuperCoaches were sent into a spin when Marcus Stoinis was a late withdrawal due to injury, while Nathan Coulter-Nile also missed the clash.

A side strain suggests Stoinis will not be bowling as much as KFC SuperCoaches had hoped as well.

The Stars are plotting to have spinner Qais Ahmad available as soon as next round, as revealed by Herald Sun’s Sam Landsberger.

“We’re hoping to have Stoinis next game,” Stars captain Glenn Maxwell said after the loss to the Sixers.

“We’ve got Coulter-Nile coming in tomorrow. Qais Ahmad is on a plane. He’s coming.

“We’ve got a new international signing, we’re not announcing it just yet. But that’s really exciting.”

Haris Rauf will return for the Stars after Christmas.

Maxwell told Channel 7 former Test opener Joe Burns, who missed due to a knee issue, could also feature in Round 2 after crossing from Brisbane Heat during the off-season.

Meanwhile, the Stars have re-signed Haris Rauf.

The Pakistani quick has taken 21 wickets in 13 matches for the Stars and was a rookie revelation in KFC SuperCoach two summers ago.

Rauf will play his first game of BBL11 on December 27, which coincides with the start of Round 6 of KFC SuperCoach BBL.

DREW, KELLY ADDED TO STRIKERS SQUAD

In-form batsman Daniel Drew has emerged as a player to watch after being added to the Strikers squad as a replacement player. Drew and recent Marsh Cup debutant Thomas Kelly are the replacements for Test duo Travis Head and Alex Carey at the Strikers. Drew is the leading runscorer in South Australian Premier Cricket with 364 First XI runs and has made 214 not out and 180 not out in his past two innings. His unbeaten 214 was from 126 balls and included 19 fours and 12 sixes. While the Strikers are expected to give Matthew Short an opportunity at the top of the order to start the campaign, Drew is a player worth putting on your radar. Kelly is a developing middle-order batsman.

Who’s in form at the right time?

– Jock Reynolds BBL expert Azza

The domestic cricket season is in full swing, giving SuperCoaches a valuable insight into potential breakout players, or players in sublime form heading into the upcoming BBL season.

Jock Reynolds BBL expert Azza has done the hard work for us, scouring across Australia to find the hidden gems that are setting the domestic competition alight and could prove to be the vital missing link to locking in your team.

Aaron Hardie (Scorchers) $103,100 BAT/BWL

Hardie has been lighting up the WACA Premier 1st Grade competition, averaging an astonishing 131.00 from five innings including two unbeaten hundreds to sit third for the most runs scored this season.

His recent T20 performances for Willetton Cricket Club showed that this form was no fluke, scoring 147 runs across two innings, averaging 106 KFC SuperCoach points in the process.

With Josh Inglis, Mitch Marsh and Ashton Agar all missing due to Australia A duties, there is opportunity for Hardie to move up the order into a more SuperCoach-friendly position, and if resumes bowling again after recent ankle surgery, his stocks will only continue to rise.

Cult hero Peter Hatzoglou will line up for the Scorchers this season. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Peter Hatzoglou (Scorchers) $131,000 BWL

Last season’s breakout star, the bowler simply known to all as ‘Peter’ has been continuing on his good form for Prospect District in the SACA Premier Cricket competition over the past few weeks and is one to closely watch in the lead-up to Round 1.

Across all the domestic matches he’s played in, there have been wickets aplenty, but he’s also been starring with the bat, averaging 43.2 and moving well up the order, including opening on three occasions. While we don’t see that happening for the Scorchers, his new-found flexibility might prove useful in a decimated Scorchers line-up that’s missing Marsh, Agar, Inglis and Richardson, and something that SuperCoaches might choose to capitalise on if this occurs.

Josh Kann (Hurricanes) $42,000 BAT-BWL

Is Kann the KFC SuperCoach savour we’ve been looking for? At a bargain basement price and dual-position flexibility, it’s no wonder that Kann is currently sitting in 44 per cent of SuperCoach teams. But his recent performances for Gold Coast in Queensland Premier Cricket have shown that he could be one to watch in the BBL, with some very handy all-round performances including a 72 and 3-38 against Wynnum-Manly back in October and an impressive 5-20 in the limited-overs grand final against Northern Suburbs.

Daniel Sams (Thunder) $203,700 BAT-BWL

After returning from the recent T20 World Cup as part of the extended Australian squad, Sams hit the ground running, putting up a couple of almighty performances in the Marsh Cup and NSW Kingsgrove Sports T20 Cup over the past week.

Batting at No. 3 for Randwick Petersham in the NSW Kingsgrove T20 Cup, Sams smashed an impressive 92 off 41 balls and, if that wasn’t enough, he backed that up with 2-28 off four overs and a catch for a whopping 197 KFC SuperCoach points.

His Marsh Cup performance further proved why he’s a set-and-forget premium scoring 82 SuperCoach points with a 21 off 13 balls and 1-32 off four overs.

Daniel Sams in action in the Marsh Cup. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images

Jake Fraser-McGurk (Renegades) $65,000 BAT

With Aaron Finch (injury), Shaun Marsh (injury) and Nic Maddinson (Aus A) all missing from the Melbourne Renegades best XI for the first few rounds, Fraser-McGerk will be licking his lips at the potential opportunity to move up the order and showcase his batting prowess, which has been on full display in the Victorian Premier Cricket competition.

From the 11 matches we’ve seen him, he’s scored above 20 all but once, and registered back-to-back hundreds in the Vic Men State Practice Match and Second XI, respectively. He’s also rolled the arm over a couple of times, taking three wickets from the 10 overs.

Is a breakout season looming? Only time will tell, but at $65,000 and rookies in short supply, Fraser-McGurk should be high on your list.

Ben McDermott (Hurricanes) $163,200 WKP-BAT

Season after season, McDermott seemingly flies under the radar and he could be a huge point of difference – again – in Round 1. Off the back of three 100-plus SuperCoach scores in BBL10 and an overall average of 52.3, McDermott is priced in the lower end of the premium category.

But he could prove well worth it after recent impressive batting for Tasmania in the Marsh Cup, where he blasted 133 off 140 balls against Western Australia last week, along with taking three catches for a whopping 163 KFC SuperCoach points.

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WEATHER WATCH

ROUND 1

December 7 (Melbourne, Docklands): 2-4mm of rain, 90 per cent chance of showers, less likely in afternoon. Game is under a roof anyway!

December 8 (Hobart): Partly cloudy. 20 per cent chance of rain.

December 8 (Perth): Partly cloudy. 20 per cent chance of rain.

ROUND 2

December 9 (Adelaide): Partly cloudy. 5 per cent chance of rain.

December 10 (Melbourne, MCG): Partly cloudy. Possible rainfall up to 0.2mm. 30 per cent chance of rain.

December 11 (Sydney): Possible shower. 0-2mm of rain predicted. 50 per cent chance of rain.

Source: Bureau of Meteorology

Originally published as KFC SuperCoach BBL late mail: Andre Russell signs with Melbourne Stars