SuperCoach BBL: Five players every team must pick to start BBL14

The building blocks to SuperCoach BBL success start here. These are the five players you need in your starting team to get a head start on other coaches.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be different in SuperCoach.

Point-of-difference picks are the ones that separate the best coaches from the chasing pack and set them on the path to league or rankings glory.

However, the first step on that path is getting the backbone of your team right by targeting the early doubles.

The two Melbourne franchises play twice in Round 1, then it’s Perth Scorchers and Adelaide Strikers in round 2.

The leading SuperCoach teams in BBL14 will be the ones who find the right combination of players from these four teams to start with.

That not only means players who score big, but also those who can generate cash, help coaches build their budgets and ultimately load their team with stars.

These are the five big names we think should be in every SuperCoach team for BBL14.

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Glenn Maxwell will be hard to leave out with a Round 1 double. Picture: Steve Bell/Getty Images

1. GLENN MAXWELL (STARS) $247,400 BAT-BWL

Maxwell might have handed over the Stars captaincy, but he is still the top dog from the green half of Melbourne in SuperCoach BBL. The superstar all-rounder ranked second for total points last summer (754), scoring 121 more than third-ranked Jamie Overton (633). Maxwell comes with a premium price tag, but is worth less than his peak price of $276k from last summer. The 36-year-old went on a SuperCoach rampage, scoring 150, 120 and 131 points in the middle of BBL13. With two doubles – and five fixtures – in the opening three rounds, you risk being blown away without Maxwell in your team.

Tom Curran has crossed from the Sixers to the Stars.

2. TOM CURRAN (STARS) $152,000 BAT-BWL

There were doubts the English all-rounder would feature in the BBL again after he received a four-match suspension last summer for intimidating an umpire. But he’s back, and with a point to prove after that BBL13 controversy. Prior to that incident, Curran was better known for being one of the most successful imports in BBL history. Curran boasts one of the best strike rates (14.4) of any bowler with more than 50 Big Bash wickets. In BBL09, Curran averaged 71.5 SuperCoach points. That was a campaign where his death-bowling prowess came to the fore.

Will Sutherland’s sky-high strike rate helps his SuperCoach scoring. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

3. WILL SUTHERLAND (RENEGADES) $132,600 BAT-BWL

The Renegades share the Round 1 double with their cross-town rivals and also play twice in Round 4. Sutherland looms as one of their standout bargain picks from a squad which presents plenty of SuperCoach value. SuperCoach BBL has long been a game where focusing on all-rounders is the fast-track to success. Players capable of influencing a game with bat, ball and in the field such as Sutherland are popular for that reason. His batting strike rate of 162.3 last season ensured the SuperCoach bonus was always in play. There’s extra competition in the bowling ranks this season but he should bowl at least three overs in most games to be eligible for the economy rate bonus too.

Kane Richardson is one of the most successful bowlers in BBL history. Picture: Steve Bell/Getty Images

4. KANE RICHARDSON (RENEGADES) $97,900 BWL

The veteran seamer was reduced to a smaller role last summer, only featuring in seven games and bowling 19.4 overs in BBL13. You could toss a coin between Richardson and Adam Zampa ($80k) as the pick of the Renegades’ bargain bowlers. There will be many SuperCoach teams who start with both. We’ve gone for Richardson as death bowlers are historically the ones who profit most in SuperCoach BBL. He provided a reminder of his class with 2-17 off four overs in the Melbourne derby in January.

Henry Thornton has been a prolific wicket-taker for the Strikers. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

5. HENRY THORNTON (STRIKERS) $98,100 BWL

Why wouldn’t you have Zampa as your fifth pick, we hear you ask? Because another crucial factor in SuperCoach BBL is planning ahead. You’ll have three trades between each round to play with, but risk being caught short if you don’t start with a few Scorchers and Strikers in preparation for the Round 2 double they share. Thornton was pushed down the pecking order last summer as imports Jamie Overton and David Payne became key members of the Strikers’ bowling cartel. But Payne wasn’t re-signed and there are doubts over how much Overton might bowl in BBL14. Thornton boasts one of the best career strike rates among current BBL players, taking a wicket every 13.3 balls.

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Originally published as SuperCoach BBL: Five players every team must pick to start BBL14