Seeing Double: Two bites of the cherry, Heat

What a start to the BBL season it’s been. A triple double into a double double, and for every player who has shone there’s been two who have flopped.

Getting off to a great start isn’t everything in BBL SuperCoach – there’s still plenty of ways to make up ground, and this article is designed to help you navigate the double game weeks and byes coming up.

Before we dive into the candidates, a bit of context on my DGW theory.

Choosing how many to have in your team comes down to a couple of things, namely their schedule after the DGW (Double Game Week) and how many of those players you’d be confident featuring on field in a SGW (Single Game Week).

At a minimum you’d want at least three DGW players on field, while an ideal number – provided you’ve planned well and they meet the criteria above – can be six or seven.

At it’s most basic, look who is the best batter and best bowler from the team on the DGW and get them into your team. And remember, it’s about quality over quantity.

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Round 3

Round 3 DGW: Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Renegades (Geelong) and Adelaide Strikers (Gabba)

Brisbane Heat

Background: The team has four new players in its lineup in BBL12, all of whom bat in the top six. That number could rise to five new players if rookie Josh Brown holds his spot as well. While we don’t know a lot about their form to-date, this bowling attack finished last season like a house-on-fire and complimented each other well. 

The batters possess quality and two games in two rounds straight after the double against the Sydney Thunder mean that they could be worth holding from rounds 3 – 5 at a minimum. From rounds 6 – 9 they play the Sixers and Scorchers four times which on paper looks a nightmare. With no view on form, seeking value from your selections would be advised.

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Their opposition in the ‘Gades and Strikers are also vastly improved teams this season.The Adelaide Strikers are so far rivaling the Scorchers for the best bowling attack in the competition. The ‘Gades are also two from two and reveling in the form of Hosein, Maddinson and Finch.

Best Bat: Colin Munro, Matt Renshaw, Sam Billings

Best Bowler: Mark Steketee, James Bazely, Michael Neser, Mitch Swepson, Matt Kuhnemann

Top picks: Bazeley, Steketee, Swepson, Kuhnemann

POD: Pierson, Whitely

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Colin Munro/Sam Billings

The premium batting options. Both have shown their class in the past and averaged 52 last season at other clubs. Billings WKT dual makes him an easy loop option for their first match of the season. The breakevens will be high, but if the team score runs you’d imagine one of them will have to come off.

Matt Renshaw – BAT/BWL

The offseason switch back to the Brisbane Heat was done with a view to him starting his family. If Matt’s available, his point of difference is his DPP status and strong form line to start the season. Renshaw is classy and a realistic chance to bowl an over or two should the team need it. There’s no T20 form to go off so not without risk, but he’s a guy who can find consistency in an inconsistent format which is rare.

Josh Brown/Max Bryant

Brown and Bryant offer value at the top of the order, but only one is likely to earn selection in the final team. While job security is not ideal, if you need a cheap downgrade in your BAT, these guys could do a job. Both have shown enough form in preseason that a big score would not surprise, but it does bring risk.

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Mark Steketee

The premium gun. Don’t be shocked if Steketee is the leading point score for the round. The bloke does it year on year. Averages 74 against the Renegades too. The price might keep him in POD ownership territory too.

Mitch Swepson/Matt Kuhnemann

Brisbane have shown a desire to play two spin bowlers in the last two tournaments, meaning these two have solid job security. Geelong where they play their first match is conducive to spin bowling too. Both are affordable, and Kuhnemann has a -33 BE meaning he’s almost risk free.

James Bazely/Michael Neser

Bazely has quietly assumed one of the better roles of any player in BBL SuperCoach with his late innings bowling and number 7 batting spot. While his batting still needs development, the earlier you come in the more balls you can face which bodes well for his scoring. Should Michel Neser be released from his Test duties to play BBL, he would slot straight into this team in place of Xavier Bartlett, and at less than $110k, he should be in everyone’s team.

Jimmy Pierson/Ross Whitely

Pierson batted 5 in the opening match, which isn’t terrible. Ross Whitely batted 6 and bowled an over which is interesting. Not ideal for SuperCoach scoring, but you just never know when they’ll have that performance which makes you forget the golden rules and chase the roller coaster role.

Paddy Dooley stole the show in Launceston last night!#BBL12 pic.twitter.com/GbIOBXhIB3

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 19, 2022

Single Game Week PODs to watch

• Paddy Dooley, 5.4% ownership – Hooley Dooley. 132 SuperCoach points from the rookie who in two rounds is already over $100k in value. The ‘Canes draw is the worst in the comp but his job security and form looks fantastic.
• Akeil Hosein, 6% – a great role opening the bowling and batting 7 for a surprising Renegades outfit. Not here for the whole season, but could be very expensive for the ‘Gades R5 DGW
• Henry Thornton, 6.1% – the wearer of the cap for most wickets this season still isn’t highly owned. He will make great cash from his already lofty price of $199k and could be a keeper
• Hayden Kerr, 7.1% – been solid to start the season with the ball, and scored well after a top order collapse for the Sixers in R2. Looks to have sewn up the number 7 spot and will bowl some death. A risk of being rotated in the stacked Sixers depth chart, but has the role to be a reliable scorer and handy DPP.

	Adelaide	Brisbane	Hobart	Melb Ren	Melb Stars	Perth	Syd Six	Syd Thu
	Plus	Minus	Plus	Minus	Plus	Minus	Plus	Minus	Plus	Minus	Plus	Minus	Plus	Minus	Plus	Minus
1	520	374	460	459	324	579	459	460	429	463			374	520	463	429
	503	364							579	324					364	503
2					551	482	459	480			602	402	402	602	480	459
											482	551
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Total	1023	738	460	459	875	1061	918	940	1008	787	1084	953	776	1122	1307	1391
Ave	511.5	369.0	460.0	459.0	437.5	530.5	459.0	470.0	504.0	393.5	542.0	476.5	388.0	561.0	435.7	463.7

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