KFC SuperCoach BBL: The top 5 players to pick in every position
There’s no doubt about it – all-rounders are the most crucial players in all of KFC SuperCoach BBL. We reveal the players to target.
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BBL can be an unpredictable game, so it make sense to cover as many bases as you can when selecting players for your starting squad.
The biggest hitting batters can cop a Jaffa or an unkind umpiring decision on their first delivery at the crease, while a bowler might fall victim to a dropped catch or send down the first over of an innings then not be required again as the batting team collapses or reaches the total easily.
The best way to avoid being caught out is to pick players who have multiple scoring avenues – all-rounders.
As well as scoring points with the bat and ball designated all-rounders in KFC SuperCoach have the benefit of being listed as BAT-BWL, so you can pick them in either position and switch them with other dual-position players in your squad to open up more selection and trade options.
Here are seven gun all-rounders to consider for your team.
Daniel Sams (Thunder)
$179k
The Thunder heavy hitter and death-bowling star has ranked in the top-12 point scorers in KFC SuperCoach BBL in three of the past for seasons. Sams was ranked third in BBL11 for total points and was the No.1 points scorer back in BBL09. In BBL10, he had the fourth-highest average of 65.2 but was 20th for overall points due to only featuring in 10 rounds. Sams’ increased batting role in recent summers has only made him more dangerous as a KFC SuperCoach scorer. Few players have the combined role of late-order hitter and regular 20th over bowler as Sams does.
VERDICT: He would be close to a must-have even without two doubles to start the season. That means he should be your first picked and likely your captain in Round 1 too.
Colin de Grandhomme (Strikers)
$125k
There were eyebrows raised at the BBL draft when the Strikers selected the veteran New Zealander, but it became clear why when he opted out of his central contract. De Grandhomme is vastly experienced, having played more than 230 career T20s. His record in those matches isn’t dominant, averaging 23.5 with the bat and a wicket roughly every three-and-a-half games. What that record doesn’t indicate is how important he’s likely to be to Adelaide. The Strikers have lacked a genuine all-rounder in recent summers and De Grandhomme is the perfect fit as a No.6 finisher and regular 3-4 over bowler. That role could make him a bargain in KFC SuperCoach.
VERDICT: A real smoky for the round 1 double. Likely to slip under the radar as coaches focus on David Willey and Daniel Sams, but could have a big impact.
Shadab Khan (Hurricanes)
$125k
Wouldn’t KFC SuperCoaches love to see Shadab in the same role he played for Pakistan in the recent T20 series against New Zealand? Batting at No.4 and bowling four overs would be about as good as it gets in KFC SuperCoach. The Hurricanes boast Matthew Wade, D’Arcy Short and Ben McDermott in their top order, while Tim David is unlikely to bat as low as No.6 this summer. That would mean the best-case scenario for Shadab is No.5 and somewhere between there and No.7 seems where he’s most likely to bat. If Hobart’s first double was earlier in the season, you would have to give more serious consideration to starting him as he can be a genuine matchwinner.
VERDICT: Better options to start with despite his appealing price and high ceiling. The round 8 double is just too far away to pick him early on.
David Willey (Thunder)
$149k
Daniel Sams 2.0? That’s underselling Willey, who is a proven T20 performer with England and has featured in the BBL before with Perth Scorchers. Willey featured 27 times for Perth, snaring 26 wickets and making 229 runs. In almost 250 career T20s, the 32-year-old averages a wicket every 17 deliveries and 24 runs at a strike rate of 138. If he can produce anything near those numbers in the opening two rounds of KFC SuperCoach, $149k will be an absolute steal. He’s likely to bowl in the powerplay and then over 19 either side of Sams bowling overs 18 and 20 in most innings.
VERDICT: Don’t think twice. Just pick him and Sams for the round 1 and 2 doubles.
Glenn Maxwell (Stars)
$184k
There was a bit of feast and famine about Maxwell’s KFC SuperCoach scoring last summer, producing two double tons, two hundreds and five scores of 35 or less. The big numbers are the ones that tell KFC SuperCoaches what they need to know about Maxwell – his points ceiling is enormous. What can frustrate KFC SuperCoaches about Maxwell – and the Stars – is that he likes to mix his bowlers a lot. That can mean he bowls four overs one game, then doesn’t feature at all with the ball the next. Maxwell has 36 wickets in 94 games for the Stars, but his economy rate and dot balls often boost his scoring.
VERDICT: Sams, Willey and Maxwell could well be the three most-popular players in round 1.
Dan Christian (Sixers)
$142k
Underestimate the veteran of Australian T20 cricket at your peril. On paper, his role doesn’t look great for KFC SuperCoach. Christian bats No.6 or No.7 as a floating finisher and isn’t guaranteed a bowl each game. Yet somehow he finds a way to rack up points and was the 18th overall pointscorer in BBL11 with an average of 49. Christian has been one of the major beneficiaries from the addition of the strike rate bonus to KFC SuperCoach. He often launches late, gets to the 20-run mark to be eligible and can score 40-50 points at a rapid rate.
VERDICT: Not to start with. But the veteran of Aussie T20 cricket will go big at some stage - history tells us that.
Mitch Marsh (Scorchers)
$246k
Marsh’s high price tag was inevitable after the way he performed in BBL11. The Aussie T20 World Cup winner averaged a whopping 106.2 KFC SuperCoach points, scoring 98, 119, 165 and 203 in four of the five rounds he featured in. Those numbers are simply off the charts compared to the top scorers from previous seasons of KFC SuperCoach BBL. Marsh will need to make a huge impact from the opening rounds of BBL12 to maintain his sky-high price. If he doesn’t, his value will come crashing down fast and give coaches a chance to pick up a potential bargain in time for Perth’s late-season doubles.
VERDICT: How do you get him into your team for Round 2 (if he isn’t unavailable due to duties with the Test squad)? Perth has a bye in Round 1 but plays twice in Round 2, when Marsh will be a popular captaincy pick. Could you pull the trigger on your first KFC SuperCoach boost of the summer and use four trades to get Marsh? It looms as the smart play.
TOP 5 BOWLERS
Taking wickets is one of the quickest ways to pile up points in KFC SuperCoach, and it’s not the only way bowlers can score big for your team.
A wicket is worth 20 points – whether it’s the result of an unplayable yorker or a batter skying one to cow corner – and there is a 10 point bonus if a bowler takes three or more wickets in a match.
Restricting the opposition is almost as valuable, with one point on offer for every dot ball, 15 for a maiden and further economy rate bonuses of up to 25 points. So, figures like 2-15 off four overs can deliver a huge points windfall.
The players to target are bowlers who take the new ball (when batters are just getting settled) and bowl in the final overs, when batters are swinging for the fences and wickets can fall quickly.
Bowlers must complete three overs to qualify for the economy rate bonus, so beware of part-timers. And it doesn’t hurt if they can swat a few over the fences with the bat late in the innings as well – if you are tossing up between two specialist bowlers pick the one who comes in at No.6 over a No.11.
Here are five sure-fire pointscorers with the ball to consider for your team.
Rashid Khan (Strikers)
$193k
One of the most consistent scorers in KFC SuperCoach history thanks to his combination of dot balls, economy rate bonus and wickets. Rashid having a double to start the season makes the decision easy for KFC SuperCoaches – you simply have to start with him. He will be one of the most popular captains in round 1 and taking on one of the world’s best T20 bowlers is asking for trouble. Remember when he signed off on BBL11 with a 187-point performance against Brisbane Heat? You can’t win KFC SuperCoach BBL in round 1 but you could go a long way to putting yourself out of the running for the overall prize if Rashid fires and you overlook him. Rashid averages a wicket every 15.5 balls in the BBL and will almost certainly bowl 48 of them in round 1. That’s a guaranteed 60 points alone based on his career strike rate.
VERDICT: You don’t need us to tell you to pick him. Just do it.
Chris Jordan (Sixer)
$125k
The Englishman doesn’t have the greatest record in the BBL with 32 wickets in 30 matches at an economy rate of more than eight runs an over – which is about equal to his international career statistics. What is without question is that when Jordan is at his best, he can be one of the best death bowlers in T20 cricket. He snared eight wickets in three games in England’s T20 series against India in July and 17 wickets from 14 games in the Vitality Blast.
VERDICT: Monitor his early form and availability closely and jump on closer to the round 5 double – as long as he’s going to be available for that extended run when the Sixers’ play a glut of games from rounds 5-8.
Mark Steketee (Heat)
$177k
Steketee is largely renowned as a red-ball bowler and you can see why considering his Sheffield Shield record in recent summers. His performances in the longer format have put the Brisbane Heat quick on the fringes of the Australian Test squad. But focusing only on Steketee’s Sheffield Shield efforts would be underselling how effective he has been for the Heat. Steketee had the ninth best KFC SuperCoach average (61) of any BWL only player last season after averaging 49.1 in BBL10. Steketee was only $87k at the start of that tournament but has taken 36 wickets in 24 games in the past two BBLs. He’s a premier bowler in domestic cricket and priced accordingly.
VERDICT: A must-have by Brisbane’s Round 3 double. Hopefully he’s dropped in price a little before then!
Nathan Ellis (Hurricanes)
$156k
Ellis has gone from a NSW grade cricketer to a semi-regular in Australia’s white-ball squads in the past 2-3 summers. It has been a remarkable rise for a player who as recently as BBL09 started in KFC SuperCoach at the basement price of $42k. Ellis has the ideal role to score well, having made a specialty out of bowling the 18th and 20th overs in most innings – when most wickets fall. He is a consistent scorer in KFC SuperCoach, posting totals of 33-67 in six of the rounds he featured in last summer. Players with a base of 30 points are tough to come by in KFC SuperCoach, which is why Ellis is an attractive option.
VERDICT: One for later in the season when Hobart plays twice. You don’t want to be investing more than $150k in players who don’t have the double in case things go awry.
Trent Boult (Stars)
$180k
The Stars’ premium pick in the BBL draft won’t be around for the full tournament, so KFC SuperCoaches wanting to unleash Boult will need to consider him from the start. He’s still playing some international cricket for New Zealand and continues to be a regular wicket-taker despite stepping back from full-time international commitments. In the recent series against Australia, the left-armer took 10 wickets across three matches in Cairns. He’s unlikely to get those same bowler-friendly conditions often in the BBL, but Boult’s quality will carry him a long way. You don’t boast a strike rate of 16.5 in international T20s without being a seriously good bowler in the shortest format.
VERDICT: The round 1 double puts him in the ‘must consider’ category, but the price is very steep. I’d prefer an all-rounder like Glenn Maxwell for that much. But if Boult can remain a point-of-difference pick for the opening round, he could provide rich reward for owners.
TOP 5 BATSMEN
Given the volatile nature of T20 run-scoring, picking batters in KFC SuperCoach BBL is always a difficult task.
Sticking to those at the top of the order is usually the best plan – but not every opener equals KFC SuperCoach gold.
Here is the verdict on 5 key batters for BBL12.
Adam Hose (Strikers)
$105k
The top-order batter was ranked third for total runs in England’s Vitality Blast this year, amassing 557 runs at a strike rate of 160.9. Of course, English stats have rarely translated to the BBL - especially for players experiencing the Aussie T20 tournament for the first time. But Adelaide’s Round 1 double and Hose’s low price tag mitigate some of that risk. He likely only needs to go big in one of those two games in Round 1 to justify starting him at a mid-range price. Hose also scored 182 runs from seven innings in The Hundred, but didn’t have as great an impact playing in the Carribean Premier League in September.
VERDICT: Start one of him and Chris Lynn for Adelaide’s Round 1 double - both should bat in the top order while Alex Carey and Travis Head are unavailable.
Laurie Evans (Scorchers)
$99k
The hero of Perth Scorchers’ victory over a Covid-depleted Sydney in last season’s BBL final when he clubbed 76 from 41 balls after Perth was teetering at 4-25. He finished last season with a flourish after bottoming out at $66k, largely due to his role as a No.6 batter and limited opportunities. Where he fits in the Perth batting line-up will be key to his KFC SuperCoach relevance. Batting at No.5 or No.6 would make him a hard sell, even at less than $100k. As Covid restrictions lift around Australia, it would be assumed Mitch Marsh and Josh Inglis will be available more often than last season and won’t be part of a Test bubble. That bodes well for the Scorchers, but not Evans’ elevation up the order.
VERDICT: The Scorchers used their retention pick on Evans in the draft and clearly liked what they saw in his first season. That role as a No.6 finisher is crucial to T20 but too volatile when it comes to KFC SuperCoach scoring.
Moises Henriques (Sixers)
$149k
Still one of the classiest batsmen in Australian domestic cricket, Henriques delighted those who started him last season by scoring 214 in the opening round of BBL11. It was one of four scores of 64 or more points for the campaign, although he also posted scores of 15 and 5. That’s the risk which comes with selecting a player who predominantly scores from one skill in KFC SuperCoach and Henriques’ bowling role has diminished significantly in the past 3-4 years. Henriques ranked seventh for total runs in BBL11.
VERDICT: The Sixers don’t have a double until round 5 and his price is unlikely to spike before then. Hold off and consider him around mid-season as the Sixers play twice in round 5 and 8.
Alex Hales (Thunder)
$130k
As if KFC SuperCoaches needed a reminder of Hales’ matchwinning ability, he delivered with 84 from 51 balls in England’s T20 World Cup warm-up against Australia in Perth. Hales looms as one of the most-popular starting picks in KFC SuperCoach with Sydney Thunder playing four times in the opening two rounds. At his destructive best he is one of the top scorers in KFC SuperCoach and showcased his enormous ceiling when he blasted 203 points in Round 10 last year. Two summers ago, he was one of the best mid-season buys after bottoming out at $87k. He scored four tons and a 95 in the run home from that low price.
VERDICT: Make him one of your first picked or he’s likely to make you pay.
Jason Sangha (Thunder)
$177k
Sangha came from nowhere to be one of the best KFC SuperCoach selections of BBL11. Working his way into the Thunder team in Round 4, Sangha only posted less than 33 points once during an incredibly consistent campaign. Sangha got as high as $203k and finished with an average of 49.4 runs per innings, the highest of any player in the top-10 run scorers for the tournament. Those coaches who refused to believe his breakout was sustainable were left behind as Sangha compiled 445 runs and cemented himself as the Thunder’s No.3 after KFC SuperCoach BBL’s own Callum Ferguson.
VERDICT: The Round 1 double is tempting, but Hales is $47k cheaper. Assuming you’re starting with Daniel Sams and David Willey as well, Sangha might be one too many Thunder players.
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