BBL12 cricket: News Corp’s top 50 players revealed
Rashid Khan has long been the most feared cricketer in the BBL — but not anymore. There’s a new spinner ready to take Rashid’s mantle as the BBL’s biggest star, as our top 50 reveals.
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Glenn Maxwell’s freak injury has changed the entire landscape of BBL12.
Maxwell’s broken leg has rocked Melbourne Stars, dealing their hopes of a breakthrough Big Bash League title a stunning blow.
The injury, which is expected to sideline Maxwell for up to three months, also caused a huge ripple effect in News Corp’s top-50 BBL players and KFC SuperCoach BBL.
The Australian star was set to be the No. 1 player in our list, which predicts the 50 players who will have the greatest impact on the BBL this summer.
Instead that honour falls to Pakistan star Shadab Khan.
Ordinarily, his namesake Rashid Khan would have been a simple pick for top spot.
But Rashid won’t play the full season with the Strikers and the position of several players on the list was based on availability, more than talent.
Our top 50 is a prediction of which players will decide BBL12, rather than a list of the most talented players in the tournament.
Availability is why West Indian drawcard Andre Russell didn’t make the cut.
Russell will only play the first four games of the season for the Renegades as a replacement for No. 1 draft pick Liam Livingstone.
World Cup winner Livingstone has withdrawn from the BBL after being the first player chosen in the inaugural draft.
It is also why many Australian stars did not make the top 25 and why some only just snuck in the top 50.
Australia’s Test series against South Africa wraps up on January 8, so it will be mid-January before the Aussie players feature for their BBL franchises.
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE OUR FULL LIST OF THE TOP 50 PLAYERS OF BBL12 AND HAVE YOUR SAY.
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Originally published as BBL12 cricket: News Corp’s top 50 players revealed
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