For the first time this season, everyone is playing once, which essentially means just getting the best players possible into your side. Or does it? Is there more data to look at that will help us decide whether or not “player X” should be favoured over “player Y”? 

Strikers vs Canes targets

This first match presents some interesting opportunities for Strikers bowlers, with the Canes losing 6.625 wickets per innings, which when put in comparison to the Strikers (4.57) shows that they do burn wickets when they bat.

Thus guys like Jamie Overton and for a POD, Henry Thornton, could be guys to target. In contrast, the average total batting first at Hobart is 163, so holding onto Ben McDermott seems to be the right thing to do. Hes also an excellent loop candidate due to when he plays in the round.

6ers vs Thunder

The average score at the SCG is 162, which is about average, but the 6ers have been losing 6 wickets an innings this year, so there’s definitely a cause for picking up Daniel Sams ahead of this matchup.

With the Thunder finishing the season on a double, selecting guys like Sams and even David Warner, will be important for us in preparing for the final round. Tom Curran is an interesting one (although he’s since been ruled out due to injury), because I think Jack Edwards has started to eat into his role, but they’ll always back TC, so he could be a POD VC/C option. With Curran out, maybe Edwards goes well.

Perth vs Brisbane 

Top-of-the table clash, a grand final rematch, this will be exciting to watch. Of course, the matchup taking place in round 8 will be the 2nd edition of it, with the first time round occurring in round 7, after this article was written. The average 1st innings score there has been 182, however, Perth have been taking 8.7 wickets an innings with the ball at Optus, so be wary of guys like Colin Munro, Sam Billings  etc.

Perth have also on average been conceding 379ppg to opponents, the lowest in the league. In 2nd place, the Brisbane Heat have been conceding just 384ppg. These 2 teams have also averaged the most points scored a game, Brisbane in 1st, scoring 508ppg, and Perth scoring 483ppg. For both of these teams, their strength is in their bowling, so a low-scoring thriller would surprise me. Lance Morris, Xavier Bartlett and hopefully, Jhye Richardson, should all benefit as a result. 

Renegades vs Stars

To cap off the round, we’ve been blessed with a Melbourne derby, and the obvious C/VC strategy is to VC Matt Short and C Glenn Maxwell. Maxi has scored 21.5% of the Stars total SuperCoach points, and is the leading wicket-taker and run-scorer for the Stars as well!

It’s a one-man team and he’s the guy to captain! For the Gades, they get Akeal Hosein, who’s a gun player, but you’ll have to pay up if you want him. It could be a cracking move though, with Marvel traditionally being a bowler’s paradise. Will Sutherland may be a worthwhile hold on this deck, particularly if he bats above Scott Edwards, he could be batting in the top 6 and bowling 4 overs. 

So there you have it, we’ve gone through and looked at the key stats for each game, what are the matchups to target and the ones to stay away from. All the best for the round ahead as always, and hopefully you all nail your sit vs starts!

Cheers, SuperCoach Guns