BBL10: Top targets, best bargains for KFC SuperCoach BBL finals

The final round of KFC SuperCoach BBL is here and there’s still time to climb the rankings. Our experts name their five must-have players for the Sixers-Scorchers clash.

It all comes down to this — for the Sixers, Scorchers and KFC SuperCoaches.

The $25,000 KFC SuperCoach grand prize will be decided on Saturday night, pending Sydney’s weather, with Chrispy’s Critters 207 points clear of their nearest rival in the overall rankings.

The Critters, managed by Chris, are in a two-horse race with Justin’s Sixers Sixers for the KFC SuperCoach grand prize.

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Behind the leading pair, the battle for a coveted top-11 finish has gone down to the wire, with only 90 points between fourth and 13th with one round remaining.

KFC SuperCoach teams have unlimited trades to play with in finals, which are about picking the best team possible from your salary cap.

The Sixers and Perth boast some of the best KFC SuperCoach scorers of BBL10.

Here’s who our experts rate as the five must-have players for the BBL final.

RELATED: TOP 20 PLAYERS IN BBL HISTORY

Jhye Richardson has struggled in recent rounds but is still the No. 1 wicket-taker in BBL10.

Tim Michell

1. Jhye Richardson

2. Liam Livingstone

3. Josh Philippe

4. Sean Abbott

5. Andrew Tye

How can the other guys leave out Jhye Richardson? His last few performances haven’t matched the lofty standards he set early in BBL10, but he’s still the No.1 wicket-taker in the competition. The bonus is he’s shown enough with the bat that he could come in at No.7 — ahead of Aaron Hardie — which puts him in all-rounder territory. Liam Livingstone showed how damaging he can be in the Challenger and has a knack of picking up a wicket when Ashton Turner throws him the ball. Josh Philippe was the player of the tournament for good reason, while his teammate Sean Abbott loves the big stage. Like Richardson, he’s capable of scoring the 20 runs required for the KFC SuperCoach strike rate bonus too. Andrew Tye has been expensive in BBL10, but reminded coaches of his quality with two wickets to help Perth earn a place in the decider.

Liam Livingstone was huge for the Scorchers against the Heat on Thursday night. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images.

The Phantom

1. Liam Livingstone

2. Jhye Richardson

3. Sean Abbott

4. Josh Philippe

5. Mitch Marsh

My captain from Round 16, Liam Livingstone, who blasted 77 off 39 against the Heat is the first picked for the final round of KFC SuperCoach BBL. He finished with 112 points without featuring with the ball, as he did in previous rounds. Jyhe Richardson is a close second - forget that he scored a combined 15 points in the past two rounds, the competition’s leading wicket-take can go as big as any. Could I back Richardson in to get Josh Philippe early, and leave the young Sixers opener out alltogether? Philippe is fourth on my list for now, but it’s something I’m very much considering. You need to give yourself a point-of-difference at this stage of the tournament. Sean Abbott is too good to overlook, and we haven’t even seen his power hitting yet.

Josh Philippe is averaging 60 KFC SuperCoach points per round this summer. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Al Paton

1. Josh Philippe

2. Liam Livingstone

3. Ben Dwarshuis

4. Mitch Marsh

5. Sean Abbott

The BBL’s leading wicket-taker Jhye Richardson averaged 68.5 points a game until I picked him for the past two games and put the C on him both matches - for an average return of 7.5 points. Not sure I’m brave enough to leave him out of my team altogether but he’s out of the top five. Philippe can go ballistic with the bat and add points behind the stumps while Livingstone has been a consistent BAT-BWL scorer, making up for the fact he didn’t get a bowl against the Heat by scoring 77 at a strike rate just under 200. Dwarshuis has taken two or more wickets in seven of his 11 appearances this summer and is as safe as you can get.

Can Sean Abbott lead the Sixers to victory on Saturday night? Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

Dan Batten

1. Josh Phillipe

2. Liam Livingstone

3. Sean Abbott

4. James Vince

5. Jason Behrendorff

It would take a brave coach to go into the final without Phillipe, who has plundered 129 runs at a strike rate of 161.25 in his last two matches against the Scorchers. His eye-catching record against his hometown opponent puts him narrowly in front of Livingstone, fresh off 112 points following his blistering 39-ball 77 in The Challenger on Thursday night. The potential of overs at the SCG sweetens the deal, snaring his side’s only wicket against the Sixers in The Qualifier. Abbott is more of a gut-feel selection as a consistent wicket taker who thrives at the SCG. Experienced coaches will know Vince can be hit and miss, but KFC SuperCoach scores of 61 and 133 opening the batting – the latter against the Scorchers – makes him difficult to pass up. Behrendorff has put together an excellent back-half of the tournament, taking nine wickets in his last six games and registering four 50-plus totals. If you are after a unique pick, Steve O’Keefe has claimed four scalps in his three matches this season against the Scorchers, culminating in a 45-point return from tidy figures of 1/20 last week.

Originally published as BBL10: Top targets, best bargains for KFC SuperCoach BBL finals