Melbourne Renegades SuperCoach BBL preview

CHRIS Gayle would have been an automatic selection in SuperCoach BBL, but with the big West Indian departed, which Melbourne Renegades should you be targeting this season?

Cameron White and Aaron Finch are the big SuperCoach BBL names at the Renegades.

LIFE after Chris Gayle isn’t all doom and gloom for the Melbourne Renegades.

They will tee off BBL 06 with a squad that looks set to help it reach the finals for just the second time in the competition.

A smorgasbord of bowling talent, coupled with a balanced batting line-up and one of the best all-rounders in the game has the Renegades well-placed to strike gold in both the Big Bash League and our new BBL SuperCoach competition.

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The man with the golden bat will be missed. Picture: Getty Images

It helps, too, that the Renegades have the two men who are battling it out to be Australia’s Test gloveman.

Matty Wade deposed Peter Nevill behind the stumps for the Adelaide Test and both will be fighting to impress the selectors — that’s good news for BBL SuperCoach players.

Neither Wade, nor Nevill set the Big Bash alight last season, but the knowledge that it’s one or the other for any conflicting international duties is heartening.

Nevill could be the beneficiary, with Wade scheduled to play Tests and ODIs throughout the competition.

With the Boxing Day and Sydney Tests in late December and early January and the ODIs against Pakistan from January 13-26, Wade could be a rare sighting in the second half of the season.

Is Matty Wade the Renegades number one keeper? Picture: Wayne Ludbey

...Or is it Peter Nevill?

The Renegades’ batting is led by a pair of familiar faces in Aaron Finch and Cam White, but it is one-Test wonder Callum Ferguson and Bushrangers’ star Marcus Harris who could be the ones to make noise.

On paper, the bowling looks primed to clean up this season, Test men James Pattinson and Peter Siddle have been joined by miserly West Indian spinner Sunil Narine.

No current Renegade averaged over 40 in BBL Supercoach last season, with Nathan Rimmington the best. You wouldn’t put it past Pattinson and Narine to exceed that, provided they stay healthy.

The competition for the spinners is red hot, with veteran Brad Hogg and Xavier Doherty in the mix with Narine. All have international experience and all know how to keep it tight.

Here is a look at the Renegades BBL SuperCoach roster, along with our picks for the men you should be targeting.

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MUST HAVE:

James Pattinson will be steaming in and his ability with the bat makes him a BBL SuperCoach must-have. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

James Pattinson (bowl): $165,000

Last season: No games

Did you hear the one about the epic fast bowler who hits it as well as an opening batsman? Junior Patto hasn’t been able to bowl much over the past couple of years, with a host of injuries keeping him from zipping them through, but that has given him time to focus on his batting. Back playing at grade cricket level, Pattinson should be fit and firing for ball one of the Big Bash. If his last knock for Dandenong is anything to go by — he blasted a ridiculous 137 off 62 balls — he is in line for some huge, all-rounder like scores. Provided he stays healthy, he is a must play.

The Bear Cameron White is having a massive domestic season, and that makes him a SuperCoach boss. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Cameron White (bat): $109,100

Last season: 8 games, 325 @ 40.63

Like a fine wine, Cameron White just gets better with age and must be on the Australian selectors’ radar. The Bear’s formline so far this season has been brilliant. Leave him out of your BBL SuperCoach side at your own peril. After clubbing a pair of centuries in the Matador Cup, White has scored 307 runs at an average of 102.33 in the Sheffield Shield. He finished last Big Bash season with 325 points at the solid average of 40.63 — leaving him just outside the top 10 — and, remarkably, is primed to better that this year.

KEEP SAFE:

Will Dwayne Bravo get a gig in your SuperCoach team? Picture: Getty Images

Dwayne Bravo (all-round): $188,100

Last season: 8 games, 560 @ 70

If you’re not willing to spend $220,000-plus on Andre Russell or Travis Head, then Dwayne Bravo is a solid option. In the $180k mix with Shane Watson, Moises Henriques and Glenn Maxwell, Bravo has been a consistent force in his past forays down under. But the Renegades’ bowling depth might just raise a question mark over whether he can replicate those pristine performances.

Finch is a proven run machine, but will he be around long enough for you to benefit? Picture: Jono Searle

Aaron Finch (bat): $223,000

Last season: 5 games, 415 @ 83

Finch can be both a blessing and a curse. Super-productive, he can blast teams off the park, and his BBL SuperCoach average of 83 last season put him behind only Sydney Thunder’s Usman Khawaja. But he only played five games, with international duties interfering with his season. He doesn’t look in line for Test selection, but still opens the batting for Australia in the ODIs. Is $223,000, a price worth paying? Maybe not.

BARGAIN BUY:

Marcus Harris has been a new man since he made the switch from WA to Victoria. The men in red will be hoping he carries that form into the Big Bash.

Marcus Harris (bat): $62,500

Last season: 7 games, 120 @ 17.14

Harris is set to be the surprise packet of the Big Bash League in 2016. A change of scenery has reinvigorated the gun opening batsman with a compact technique that is equal parts defensive and attacking. After crossing from Western Australia, Harris has taken the bull by the horns in Victoria, leading the entire Sheffield Shield competition with 409 runs with a ton and three half centuries. Slot him in on your SuperCoach bench. He could turn into a stud.

NOT THIS SEASON:

Can Hoggy prove us wrong? Picture: Mark Dadswell

Brad Hogg (bowl): $89,800

Last season: 9 games, 301 @ 33.44

This won’t be the first time someone has written off Brad Hogg. At 45, he’s still plying his trade in the Big Bash League. We have no doubt that he still has the capability, but the addition of Narine and the competition from Doherty makes the Renegades’ slow bowling make up too difficult to predict. Don’t take the risk.

Renegades team:

Batsmen

Aaron Finch: $223,000

Last season: 5 games, 415 SuperCoach points at an average of 83

Cameron White: $109,100

Last season: 8 games, 325 @ 40.63

Callum Ferguson: $72,500

Last season: No games

Tom Cooper: $62,500

Last season: 8 games, 149 @ 18.63

Marcus Harris: $62,500

Last season: 7 games, 120 @ 17.14

Can Sids get his back right and make an impact for the Melbourne Renegades? Picture: Mike Keating

Bowlers

James Pattinson: $165,000

Last season: No games

Sunil Narine: $155,000

Last season: No games

Peter Siddle: $118,000

Last season: No games

Nathan Rimmington: $107,100

Last season: 7 games, 279 @ 39.86

Chris Tremain: $98,700

Last season: 8 games, 294 @ 36.75

Nick Winter: $93,500

Last season: No games

Brad Hogg: $89,800

Last season: 9 games, 301 @ 33.44

Xavier Doherty: $84,000

Last season: 7 games, 219 @ 31.29

Sunil Narine gives a new look to the Renegades bowling attack. Picture: AFP

Keepers

Matthew Wade: $77,400

Last season: 3 games, 51 @ 17

Peter Nevill: $62,500

Last season: 5 games, 144 @ 28.8

All-rounders

Dwayne Bravo: $188,100

Last season: 8 games, 560 @ 70

Originally published as Melbourne Renegades SuperCoach BBL preview