This is a SuperCoach BBL warning: Don’t start these 10 players!

As tempting as it is to pick the biggest names in SuperCoach BBL from the start, some don’t arrive until mid-tournament! Don’t make the mistake of having these 10 stars in your Round 1 side.

SuperCoach BBL is as much about managing the fixture as it is picking the big guns from the start.

In SuperCoach AFL and NRL, you can load your team with premium players from Round 1 and benefit from their scoring.

In SuperCoach BBL, you need to juggle double game weeks, availability and injuries.

Some of the premier players in the BBL don’t arrive until mid-season, including Brisbane Heat’s marquee signing AB De Villiers.

Australian duties will rule Steve Smith and Matthew Wade out of the early rounds, with Smith not expected to feature until later in the tournament.

Then there’s the likes of Jofra Archer, who’s signed on with Hobart Hurricanes but won’t feature due to England’s tour of South Africa.

Here’s 10 players you shouldn’t have in your starting team.

AB De Villiers won’t join Brisbane Heat until their ninth game of BBL09. Picture: Brisbane Heat Media

1. AB De Villiers (Brisbane Heat) $225,000 BAT

Availability: De Villiers has signed for the last six games of the regular season plus finals, should the Heat qualify.

Ownership: 18.14% of teams

2. Steve Smith (Sydney Sixers) $225,000 BAT

Availability: Australia’s one-day tour of India is January 14-19. That puts him in line to play in the last two games of the regular season (Sixers play Jan 23 against Brisbane) and finals.

Ownership: 2.29% of teams

3. Rashid Khan (Adelaide Strikers) $203,300 BWL

Availability: Will play the full tournament but has a bye Round 1. Make plans to trade him in, but $203,300 is too much to stash on the bench.

Ownership: 16.66%

Steve Smith is back with Sydney Sixers but won’t feature until late in BBL09.

4. Mohammad Nabi (Melbourne Renegades) $149,200 BAT-BWL

Availability: Nabi won’t join the Renegades until their ninth game of BBL09 due to commitments in the Bangladesh Premier League.

Ownership: 10.4%

5. Matthew Wade (Hobart Hurricanes) $187,200 WKP-BAT

Availability: Will depend on whether he’s selected for the one-day tour of India. The third Test against New Zealand finishes January 7 and Wade could otherwise play for the Hurricanes on January 9 in Brisbane.

Ownership: 14.14%

MORE SUPERCOACH BBL NEWS:

Brisbane Heat captain Chris Lynn the No. 1 lock for the opening round of SuperCoach BBL

A last-minute guide to playing SuperCoach BBL

Be in the running for more than $50,000 in prizes by signing up for SuperCoach BBL – here’s all the info you need!

SuperCoach BBL 2019: 50 most popular players revealed

SuperCoach BBL: Fearless predictions for the Big Bash League season ahead

SuperCoach BBL: Predicted Big Bash teams for opening round

6. Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Brisbane Heat) $158,200 BWL

Availability: Mujeeb will replace fellow spinner Zahir Khan after the Heat’s opening eight games. He’s playing in the Bangladesh Premier League before then.

Ownership: 6.1%

Rashid Khan celebrates a wicket with Alex Carey last season for Adelaide Strikers.

7. Andrew Tye (Perth Scorchers) $149,800 BWL

Availability: One of the Big Bash League’s most successful bowlers will be out for the summer as he recovers from elbow surgery.

Ownership: 7.3%

8. Jofra Archer (Hobart Hurricanes) $148,500 BWL

Availability: Archer has been replaced in the Hurricanes’ squad by big-hitting South African David Miller as he’ll be touring South Africa with England during the BBL.

Ownership: 12.6%

International duties will rule Jofra Archer out of BBL09.

9. Jason Behrendorff (Perth Scorchers) $142,800 BWL

Availability: Another key Scorchers quick who has been struck down by injury. Behrendorff will be sidelined after a recurrence of a back issue which has troubled him previously.

Ownership: 4.39%

10. Faheem Ashraf (Melbourne Renegades) $105,000 BAT-BWL

Availability: Days after being signed by the Renegades, Ashraf was recalled by his local club in Pakistan. He won’t feature at all in BBL09 and his spot has been taken by Englishman Richard Gleeson.

Ownership: 1.27%

MORE SUPERCOACH BBL CONTENT

Star-studded squad lists / Top 10 young guns / Everything you need to know / Key dates to shape your season / Gun imports set to explode / New faces to target / How players earn points

Originally published as This is a SuperCoach BBL warning: Don’t start these 10 players!