Thommo Aitken
2019 SuperCoach BBL overall champion
Gun Show: Star players to target and avoid, Rd 7
Last year's SuperCoach BBL champion Thommo Aitken eyes the top dollar players to target and steer clear of.
Gun Show
January 3, 2021
Another round done is just about done as we reach the halfway mark of the tournament. I hope your SuperCoach season is going well.
There are always ups and downs, successes and failures during BBL SuperCoach, but the fast-paced nature of the tournament means a quick climb up the rankings is always possible.
Round 7 sees all teams on a single game and then there is a quick turnaround to Round 8 where the Sydney Thunder and the Brisbane Heat will feature with double game rounds.
Logically therefore it makes sense that your trades heavily features players from these teams.
Embed from Getty ImagesRound 7/8 Guns to Target
Daniel Sams (Thunder)
Yes he is expensive, but Sams looms as the major trade in target for coaches before the Thunder have their double game round.
He has taken a wicket in every game thus far for the Thunder and is always a chance of taking bulk wickets towards the end of an innings.
He has also shown more form with the bat this tournament compared to previous editions, showing everyone his true potential with a match winning knock of 65 not out against the Heat in the Thunder’s second game.
In all likelihood, he looms as a trade in and then hold for the rest of the BBL.
Alex Hales (Thunder)
Started a bit slow with two ducks in the first three games, but Alex Hales is really starting to hit his straps with scores of 35, 71 and 45 in his last three games.
His strike-rate has also been unbelievable in these games leading to some valuable strike-rate bonus’ for lucky owners. He could be a dangerous omission if he goes big in the double game round.
Jack Wildermuth (Heat)
Wildermuth is the highest averaging Heat player so far this tournament, so he is a target for those teams who do not currently own him.
Most teams will probably already have him due to the fact that he seems to get regular opportunities with both bat and ball.
Whilst yet to replicate his heroics from his first game where he made a quick fire 31 and captured 3/23, he is a realistic chance of chipping away and gathering points across his upcoming game week.
Embed from Getty ImagesLewis Gregory (Heat)
A late comer to the tournament, it hasn’t stopped Gregory from becoming a valuable performer for the Heat in real life and from a SuperCoach perspective.
A valuable SuperCoach commodity who can influence the game with both bat and ball. One would imagine he chips in with points across his double game week to prove a valuable selection.
Tanveer Sangha (Thunder)
Well done on coaches who have had this bloke from the start when he was bargain basement price!
He was someone who I have missed and even though he is a lot more expensive compared to his starting price, he is someone myself and others will need to scrutinise very closely.
To put it simply, he has taken the most wickets (10) for the Thunder so far, therefore even at that inflated price he could be worth including in your side.
Adam Milne (Thunder)
A bit of a stop and start tournament for the Kiwi international thus far, but when on the park he has looked quite impressive.
He has only played three matches with his best return being figures of 2/21. He looks to me to have the potential to take a bag of wickets in a single match, which is something worth considering when making SuperCoach trade ins.
The only concern is his durability and whether he will play the matches you want him to play.
Embed from Getty ImagesGun to Monitor
Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Heat)
Is in ripping form as he took 5/15 two games back and then in his most recent outing captured another two wickets for only 28 runs.
He also showed he is not hopeless with the bat with an entertaining cameo against the Strikers.
He would be an obvious candidate in preparation for the double game week in round eight but he has also been named in the Afghanistan cricket team that will play against Ireland starting January 18.
We will have to monitor how many more games he will definitely play before selecting him in our sides.
Embed from Getty ImagesGun to Avoid
Ben Cutting (Thunder)
The all-rounder position is usually a golden factor and a much valuable part of organising your SuperCoach selections.
However, looking at the all-rounder depth between the Heat and the Thunder in terms of averages and there look to be a lot more promising prospects compared to Ben Cutting.
Daniel Sams, Jack Wildermuth, James Bazley and Lewis Gregory are all BAT/BWL eligible and average more than Cutting at the time of writing.
Furthermore, he has only taken one wicket for the tournament and only bowled the three overs in a game once.
He’s had some handy enough performances with the bat making over 20 runs three times, but I am happy to watch him play and have others from the Thunder and Heat ahead of him at this stage.
Chris Lynn (Heat)
He is still sidelined through injury so do not include him in your trade plans.
Mohammed Nabi (Renegades)
It would make no real sense for coaches to bring in Nabi now. The all-rounder has had his double game week and is in the Afghanistan squad to play against Ireland and therefore it is unknown when he will depart the competition.
Embed from Getty ImagesThommo’s Top Targets
A new addition to the article this round. Here I will be producing a ranking list of the priority trade targets for the upcoming set of fixtures.
Number 1: Daniel Sams
Number 2: Jack Wildermuth
Number 3: Alex Hales
Number 4: Lewis Gregory
Number 5: Adam Milne
Number 6: Tanveer Sangha
Number 7: Mujeeb Ur Rahman (availability uncertainty)
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