KFC SuperCoach BBL: Mike Hussey reveals his team for BBL12

The pressure is on Mike Hussey after taking on the mantle of Mr SuperCoach for the KFC SuperCoach BBL summer. Here’s the team he hopes will launch will him to glory.

Here we go KFC SuperCoaches.

BBL12 is days away and I can’t wait to get stuck into my first summer as Mr SuperCoach.

I’ve spent weeks – OK months – planning the perfect KFC SuperCoach team.

Like most I have made a few strategy tweaks along the way and needed to overhaul my team when Glenn Maxwell (injury) and David Willey (withdrawn) became unavailable.

But all along I have used the three Round 1 doubles (Strikers, Stars and Thunder) as the basis of my starting side.

Mr SuperCoach Mike Hussey has revealed his team.

Of the 16 players in my KFC SuperCoach team, 12 play twice in Round 1, including bench wicketkeeper Harry Nielsen.

If you’re playing for the first time this summer, the best thing you can do is look at the fixture, note who has the double and target players from those teams.

That’s why I have gone heavy on Stars, Thunder and Strikers players for the opening round and stashed Scorchers (Round 2) and Heat (Round 3) players on my bench.

You can take on my team by heading to supercoach.com.au, signing up today and using the option to add expert coaches to your league.

Hopefully I can take ‘expert’ bragging rights over The Phantom, Dan Batten and most importantly my Fox Cricket colleague Isa Guha.

Here’s my starting team for BBL12 – good luck!

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE MR SUPERCOACH MIKE HUSSEY’S FULL KFC SUPERCOACH TEAM

Joe Clarke had a bumper first summer with the Stars.

WICKETKEEPERS

Joe Clarke (Melbourne Stars) $153,800 WKP-BAT

Bench:

Harry Nielsen (Adelaide Strikers) $62,500 WKP-BAT

Clarke is the standout wicketkeeping option for Round 1 and worth paying the extra $60,000 to have instead of Sydney Thunder gloveman Matt Gilkes. I like Gilkes as a player but Clarke’s role is more certain. You know he’s going to be at the top of the order after compiling 419 runs as an opener in his first summer with the Stars. I can’t be as sure about Gilkes opening with Alex Hales, but can understand why some coaches are opting to save the money and spend it to bolster another position.

Mike Hussey expects Chris Lynn to return to his best in Adelaide.

BATTERS

Jason Sangha (Sydney Thunder) $177,200 BAT

Alex Hales (Sydney Thunder) $130,300 BAT

Chris Lynn (Adelaide Strikers) $112,200 BAT

Rilee Rossouw (Sydney Thunder) $105,000 BAT

Marcus Stoinis (Melbourne Stars) $83,400 BAT-BWL

Bench:

Michael Neser (Brisbane Heat) $107,900 BAT-BWL

Josh Inglis (Perth Scorchers) $87,000 WKP-BAT

I’ve squeezed in four of the five big guns most teams will be targeting in Sangha, Rashid, Boult and Sams. I’m apprehensive about leaving out Matt Short, who started last season at $62,500 in KFC SuperCoach but ended BBL11 as the top point scorer. The other potential roadblock I am weighing up is whether Josh Hazlewood’s injury blow might rule Michael Neser out of the early rounds of the BBL if he’s required to stay with the Test squad. The last thing you want is to plan two rounds ahead, only for a player to not be available for a double game round. Paying almost $180k for Sangha seems like a lot, but he will bat in the top three, is likely to bowl without Tanveer Sangha available early and now has the extra responsibility of captaincy as well. It bodes well for another big summer. Hales, Lynn and Rossouw could all blast off in Round 1 and Marcus Stoinis should be in every team at that price. Josh Inglis features with the Scorchers’ Round 2 double in mind.

Mike Hussey was impressed by Luke Wood while working with England.

Trent Boult and Wood will give the Stars two strong left-arm options.

BOWLERS

Rashid Khan (Adelaide Strikers) $193,600 BWL

Trent Boult (Melbourne Stars) $180,000 BWL

Daniel Sams (Sydney Thunder) $179,300 BAT-BWL

Luke Wood (Melbourne Stars) $105,000 BAT-BWL

Adam Zampa (Melbourne Stars) $103,600 BWL

Bench:

Mitchell Swepson (Brisbane Heat) $107,400 BWL

Aaron Hardie (Perth Scorchers) $99,600 BAT-BWL

I told Luke Wood during my involvement with the England T20 squad that he was in my KFC SuperCoach team and I needed a big summer from him. I’m confident he can deliver for my team – and the Stars – bowling in tandem in the crucial overs with Trent Boult. He’s a good athlete and a capable batter too who could pick up some bonus batting points along the way. Rashid, Boult and Sams pick themselves and Zampa can’t be overlooked at that price. Mitch Swepson is a player I’ll unleash come Round 3 for the Heat double and by starting him I can hopefully gain a leg up on other coaches who don’t think about Brisbane players until Round 3. I’ve noticed Aaron Hardie is growing in popularity and I’m not surprised. There are good noises coming out of Perth about him having a more prominent batting role after Mitch Marsh’s season-ending injury. He’s a player I have watched develop with interest in recent summers and even had in my KFC SuperCoach team in BBL11. I was likely a year too early and don’t want to miss out on a potential breakout summer from the Western Australian all-rounder.

Mike Hussey's KFC SuperCoach BBL team.

With $25,000 up for grabs and prizes for every round winner, there’s never been a better time to get involved in KFC SuperCoach BBL. Head to supercoach.com.au and enter your team today. The first game of BBL12 is Tuesday night and with the Stars and Thunder in action, it promises to be a bumper start to the KFC SuperCoach summer.