KFC SuperCoach BBL: How to put together a winning team

New to KFC SuperCoach BBL or need a refresher? Follow this quick free guide and you’ll have a team ready to take on your mates and challenge for the $25,000 prize.

Picking a winning team for SuperCoach BBL doesn’t have to be hard.

If you follow some simple tactics then getting a strong team together to take you right to the top of the tree, and to put you right in the mix for that $25,000 top prize, will be a breeze.

First, the basics. You have $2 million to spend on your team – seven batters, seven bowlers and two wicketkeepers.

WHO TO TARGET

When picking your batting line-up, it’s best to choose players who bat high up the order. The last thing you want is someone who comes in at six or seven and arrives at the crease with only an over or two left in the innings – or misses out altogether. Glenn Maxwell is usually fourth or fifth in line for the Melbourne Stars, and that’s probably the lowest down the order you want to go.

Wicketkeeper is another position where you only want players who bat high up the order – keepers generally score more points with the bat than behind the stumps.

Josh Phillipe usually opens for the Sixers and has some time at the crease, so he has a chance to score KFC SuperCoach points while batting and also by playing as a wicketkeeper. It’s all about increasing your odds! Harry Nielsen at the Strikers is another top BBL keeper, but he doesn’t usually bat until sixth or seventh and relies on catches for the bulk of his score.

Your bowling attack should be made up of bowlers who are guaranteed to bowl at least three or four overs in an innings, so they qualify for the eco-rate bonus. All-rounders who bat as well as bowl, therefore giving them more than one opportunity to score, are players to target, as well as opening bowlers and death bowlers. Bowlers who get the new ball or the final overs in an innings usually have the best chance at getting wickets, and a good economy rate.

The BBL is unpredictable and wickets can fall at any time during the 20 overs, but early in the innings batters are still getting used to the pitch conditions, and at the death they are open to taking more risks.

Josh Philippe can add to his score with catches behind the stumps. Picture: Phil Hillyard

WATCH THE FIXTURE

Your players score points based on how they perform in BBL games, and if they play twice in a round, both scores are added together for that round. That makes selecting players with a double-game round a great way to maximise your scoring potential.

In round 1 of KFC SuperCoach BBL the Stars, Strikers and Thunder all have a double game round. So the best starting tactic would be to focus on getting Strikers and Thunders players into your team. I would be careful selecting too many Stars players because, if you look ahead, they have the bye in round 2, and you don’t want to be stuck with too many.

The key to KFC SuperCoach BBL is having as many double game round players as possible, to get the most amount of points on your field.

Here are some Stars, Strikers and Thunder players to consider for your starting line-up:

Adam Zampa (Stars) $103,600 BWL

Rashid Khan (Strikers) $193,600 BWL

Alex Hales (Thunder) $130,300 BAT

Cameron Boyce (Strikers) $171,400 BWL

Matthew Short (Strikers) $197,500 BAT

Trent Boult (Stars) $180,000 BWL

Nathan Coulter-Nile (Stars) $103,200 BWL

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

Jason Sangha (Thunder) $177,200 BAT

MORE: READ DAMO AND AZZA’S FULL EXPERT BBL FIXTURE GUIDE

Adam Zampa could kick off the SuperCoach BBL season with a big score. Picture: AAP Image/Michael Dodge

TRADES

You have three trades each round in a use-it-or-lose-it set up (if you don’t use all three they aren’t saved for the next found). If you need a fourth trade you can activate a Trade Boost which can be used at any point throughout the rolling lockout. You have three trade boosts for the season, so use them wisely!

Keeping an eye on the fixture and keeping in mind who has the bye or the double game round coming up is a highly recommended part of your trade calculations.

Perth Scorchers aren’t playing round 1, but they have the double in round 2, so you could start with cheap Scorchers players like Josh Inglis or Laurie Evans, stashing them on your bench in preparation for the next round. But don’t leave too much money on the pine. You don’t want to handicap yourself unnecessarily.

Here are five Perth Scorchers to consider stashing in preparation for round 2:

Andrew Tye $156,700 BWL

Josh Inglis $87,000 BAT-WKP

Jason Behrendorff $122,400 BWL

Jhye Richardson $149,500 BWL

Aaron Hardie $99,600 BAT/BWL

CAPTAIN AND VICE-CAPTAIN

Picking your captain won’t be too difficult. Select a player with the double game round who has two chances to score and deliver a monster total to revel in.

Selecting an all-rounder as captain is also highly recommended as they can pile on the points with the bat or ball – effectively giving you four shots at a big score in a double game round.

Glenn Maxwell, Rashid Khan, Matthew Short, Alex Hales and David Willey all present as popular captaincy options.

Picking a pure batsman as captain is a risk because if they get out cheaply they can score poorly, but it can pay off big time if you get it right and they smash a quick-fire 50.

Here are some other premium scorers who can score well even without the double game week:

Sean Abbott (Sixers) $205,400 BWL

Josh Phillipe (Sixers) $168,300 BAT-WKP

Kane Richardson (Renegades) $189,200 BWL

Ben McDermott (Hurricanes) $211,800 BAT-WKP

Usman Khawaja (Heat) $155,200 BAT

Colin Munro (Heat) $150,900 BAT

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

SUPERCOACH INTEL: EVERY BBL TEAM’S PREDICTED XI

When Alex Hales fires he is one of the topscoring players in KFC SuperCoach BBL. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

NAILING THE BENCH

Ideally, you have picked a team with players well entrenched in the XI at their BBL side, or players who are at least filling a void of significance, but you still don’t want to be caught out if someone is a late out or doesn’t make the final team on game day.

Here are some cheapies to consider to help you finish your team who should play and increase in value – a key to making trades throughout the season:

Tim David (Hurricanes) $89,700 BAT

Chris Tremain (Hurricanes) $70,100 BWL

Daniel Hughes (Sixers) $84,600 BAT

Thomas Kelly (Strikers) $80,500 BAT

Cameron Green (Scorchers)* $62,500 BAT-BWL

* Green won’t be available until the latter half of the BBL season, but at his price you could start him on the bench and use him for the vice-captain loophole until he plays.

You have until the start of the BBL season to make as many changes to your team as needed. Keep on top of the cricket news especially around player signings, and watch for our predicted teams to get the inside word on who will play in round 1. Most of all, have fun!

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Originally published as KFC SuperCoach BBL: How to put together a winning team