SuperCoach is open for BBL|15 meaning we finally know the nine-round fixtures which is critical in a game full of double gameweek and byes.
The fixture always should guide your initial SuperCoach BBL squad selection, so what’s the lowdown.
First and foremost, there’s no byes in Round 1, so no one is off limits. In fact, there’s no byes until Round 4 but there are 6 doubles in first 3 rounds, so you’ll want to focus on those teams in your starting squad.
Key features
Hobart Hurricanes early doubles
The reigning champions just got even more attractive, with the ‘Canes set to play 5 games in the first 3 rounds. It’s going to be hard to ignore their plethora of all-rounders, namely the experience Mitch Owen, seasoned campaign Chris Jordan plus leg-spinning newcomers Rehan Ahmed and Rishad Hossain. Note, Beau Webster is likely to miss due to being part of the Test squad.
Hobart don’t have a bye until Round 6, so you can definitely plan to keep a few around for a bit. The back-end of Hobart’s season gets dicey, with 2 byes in the final 4 rounds around another double, so you’ll need to consider how to manage that later on. Focus on the first block of games for now.
Sydney Sixers Round 1 double
The Sixers not only have a Round 1 double but they play the first game, so they’ll be prime for a VC, plus some cheap loops. The Sixers don’t have a bye until Round 5, so there’s no real risk of overloading, with Jack Edwards, Josh Philippe, Sean Abbott, Babar Azam and Ben Dwarshuis likely top of the list.
Note Sam Curran is unavailable early on due to ILT20 commitments, so he’s not an option to start. Like Hobart, the Sixers have 3 doubles and 2 byes across the season, so their fixture requires consideration if you want to keep players.
Heat & Thunder Round 2 doubles
It’ll be worth including a few players from these sides in your starting squad with a view to their Round 2 doubles. Neither of these teams actually has a bye all season, so you could find some season keepers if you can find some value, like Michael Neser, Daniel Sams or even Nathan McAndrew.
Stars Round 3 double
The Stars actually have 2 doubles in 3 rounds sandwiched around a bye, which is slightly awkward. You’ll want to plan to have guys like Glenn Maxwell and Tom Curran for their doubles. Perhaps selling some expensive Sixers after their Round 1 double is the avenue. Mitch Swepson and Joe Clarke loom as the cheapie options you could target and use as a loop on their bye.
Scorchers Round 4 double
Round 4 is a long way off, so we wouldn’t recommend going too hard on Scorchers to start, but they’re worth having in your plans as they’re the only side on the Round 4 double. Some value picks could be worth a punt to start, especially the viciously underpriced Aaron Hardie, import Finn Allen or young gun Mahli Beardman.
