The Melbourne Renegades are arguably the most relevant team early in SuperCoach BBL|13 with a Round 1 double, plus another in Round 3, meaning they play five games in the first three rounds.

As a result there’s big points on offer, so you’ll need to be considering a plethora of the best options from the boys in red.

Ins/Outs

Ins: Adam Zampa (Melbourne Stars), Nathan Lyon (Sydney Sixers), Peter Siddle (Adelaide Strikers), Quinton de Kock (RSA), Harry Dixon (St Kilda), Joe Clarke (Melbourne Stars), Fergus O’Neill (Victoria)

Outs: Sam Harper (Melbourne Stars), Andre Russell, Martin Guptill, Matt Critchley, Akeal Hosein, Corey Rocchiccioli (Melbourne Stars)

Squad (full 18): Nic Maddinson, Aaron Finch, Mackenzie Harvey, Shaun Marsh, Kane Richardson, Tom Rogers, Jon Wells, Will Sutherland, Adam Zampa, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Nathan Lyon, Peter Siddle, Quinton de Kock, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Harry Dixon, Joe Clarke, Ruwantha Kellapotha, Fergus O’Neill

View our list of the top 5 speculative picks in SC BBL|13

View our list of the top 10 value picks in SC BBL|13

Availability Issues

Nathan Lyon will miss the bulk of BBL|13 due to Test duty, while it’s come out that Quinton de Kock will miss the Gades’ first two games (Round 1 double) as he’s with the Delhi Bulls in the Abu Dhabi T10 League which runs up until December 9. Joe Clarke also has a deal with Deccan Gladiators, but has arrived already in Australia to play early.

Adam Zampa has returned home from India after the World Cup, so he’s had a chance to freshen up. But Kane Richardson injured his glute in the third T20I, Honeyball understands it was minor, but he didn’t play in the fourth or fifth games, so monitor that with games on December 8 and 10, offering a short turnaround.

Shaun Marsh, who retired from state cricket at the end of last season, hasn’t played at club cricket in Perth this season, nor any Gades’ warm-up games so his fitness is an unknown. Nic Maddinson recently returned from an ACL injury and is good to go.

View our comprehensive BBL Availability Calendar

Predicted Round 1 XI Rationale

With De Kock out for Round 1, Clarke will take the gloves but his opening partner is a big question. Maddinson looms large having played as an opener throughout BBL|12 until injury intervened, along with this week’s warm-up games.

The Gades middle-order is tough to pick with Marsh, Aaron Finch, Mackenzie Harvey and Jake Fraser-McGurk all capable of any role. However, Marsh is typically a slow starter so you want him getting his eye in early, while Finch has slowly dropped down batting orders over the past 18 months. JFM’s spot in the XI is far from secure too, but Harvey’s form has been ordinary and Harry Dixon is too raw. If Marsh is unavailable, expect Harvey to get a shot.

Will Sutherland is a player of interest given his all-round talent and his role likely depends on those last few signings. We’ve got him slated to bat 7, but potentially shift up to 5-6 depending on the situation, while being their fifth bowler. But we’d assume they’ll add another bowling option into this line-up with one of their last signings. Keep an eye on that.

The Gades are blessed with quality bowlers in Tom Rogers, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, with Peter Siddle left out. Siddle, who turns 39 in December, feels like someone who’ll be rotated a lot this summer and it’s hard to picture the Gades running with all five in the same team often. If they did, it’d be a very long tail too. In a world where they played all five, it’d also hurt Sutherland’s role.

Rogers and Richardson are the likely death bowlers, while Mujeeb was used up front last season, leaving Zampa for a probable middle-overs role which may be more restrictive than wicket-taking.

Predicted Round 1 XI

1 J.Clarke
2 N.Maddinson
3 S.Marsh
4 J.Fraser-McGurk
5 A.Finch
6 J.Wells
7 W.Sutherland
8 T.Rogers
9 K.Richardson
10 A.Zampa
11 Mujeeb Ur Rahman

View our predicted Round 1 line-up for the Melbourne Stars

View our predicted Round 1 line-up for the Sydney Thunder

View our predicted Round 1 line-up for the Hobart Hurricanes

View our predicted Round 1 line-up for the Brisbane Heat

View our predicted Round 1 line-up for the Sydney Sixers

View our predicted Round 1 line-up for the Adelaide Strikers

View our predicted Round 1 line-up for the Perth Scorchers