SuperCoach BBL is open for the 2022-23 season, meaning we’ve got clarity on prices and the fixture, the latter being critical to planning your starting squad with double games and byes.
So we’ve penned some basic thoughts to help you pick your starting line-up, focusing on the first few rounds.
One key thing to remember is the Aussie Test players won’t be available until around Round 9-10, so put a line through Marnus Labuschagne ($204k B/B), Cameron Green ($62k B/B), David Warner ($204k BAT) and Travis Head ($125k B/B) etc for now.
First things first, the Sydney Thunder have doubles in both Rounds 1 and 2, so you need to focus on getting their best players whatever the cost, namely all-rounder Daniel Sams ($179k B/B). Opening batsman Alex Hales ($130k BAT) will be a popular pick at that price too.
The Thunder have some holes in their batting line-up with Sam Billings and Usman Khawaja departed, so there may be some bargains coming into new roles, such as Oliver Davies ($62k BAT) or Rilee Rossouw ($105k BAT) who was poor last time he was in the BBL but has good form in 2022.
It is worth noting that the Thunder have a Round 3 bye, so don’t overload on their players and have an exit plan to trade them out, ideally to Brisbane Heat players who have the bye in Round 2 before a Round 3 double. Good Heat options to plan to bring in for Round 3 may be Michael Neser ($107k B/B), Mark Steketee ($177k BWL) and Sam Billings ($152k W/B) but monitor their availability and form leading up to BBL and Round 1.
The two other sides on the Round 1 double are the Adelaide Strikers and the Melbourne Stars. The Strikers don’t have a bye until Round 5, so their clear run makes Rashid Khan ($193k BWL) seem a must. BBL|11 sensation Matt Short ($197k BAT) will be enticing, while Chris Lynn ($112k BAT) is cheap and available for the first-half of the season, but he was a bit of a flop last year. Colin de Grandhomme ($125k B/B) looks under-priced for an all-rounder too.
The Stars have a Round 2 bye, so you shouldn’t pick more than three or four of their players, otherwise you’ll be stuck. Marcus Stoinis ($83k B/B) and Adam Zampa ($103k BWL) are ripping value after finishing last season poorly, while other good options are Trent Boult ($180k BWL) and Joe Clarke ($153k B/W).
Given the Stars’ Round 2 bye, it’s worth planning to trade two or three out, usually the pricier ones such as Boult, immediately into Round 2 for Perth Scorchers players you’d like for their Round 2 double, as they have the Round 1 bye so you’re unlikely to want to start with any premium Scorchers.
There is a school of thought that you could carry a Scorchers cheapie in Round 1 on your bench to give you an additional DGW player in Round 2 with an under-priced Josh inglis ($87k B/W) top of the list. For any others, you do need to pick the right one which can be hard prior to their first game. Lance Morris ($62k BWL) has had some good form including taking 2-23 against India this week, so he’s one to monitor but the Scorchers bowling line-up is traditionally tough to crack.
It is difficult to mount a case for players from the Hobart Hurricanes, Melbourne Renegades and Sydney Sixers, who have singles for the first four rounds, but there is some value among them, including Tim David ($89k BAT), Mujeeb Ur Rahman ($111k BWL) and the perennial tease Will Sutherland ($62k B/B) fresh from a maiden Shield century.
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