POD Hunter: Round 5/6, unique players to find an edge

If you’re off to a slow start, or perhaps like to live on the edge with your SuperCoach selections, you’ll be sure to want to hunt point of difference (POD) players for your side.



Each week we’ll run through a list of potential candidates that fit the bill, owned by under 10% of SuperCoaches at the time of writing that can help us claw up the rankings at a rapid rate.



Sean Abbott – 7.3% ownership



Some people may feel that they have missed the boat with an enormous 123 point game from Abbott against the Strikers, however, he is a quality player and I don’t think it will be the last game with a monster score this season.&nbsp;



In fact, he already went over 100 in Round 1! He barely played for the Sixers last season, however, he looks set to play a major role for them this season, especially with Tom Curran out injured for the rest of the tournament.&nbsp;



He is a genuine wicket-taker and he will bowl some crucial overs for the Sixers.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">History made at the SCG. Sean Abbott has overtaken Ben Laughlin as the <a href="https://twitter.com/BBL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BBL</a>&#39;s all-time leading wicket taker 🙌 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BBL11?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BBL11</a> <a href="https://t.co/Fb8Hk0eMgk">pic.twitter.com/Fb8Hk0eMgk</a>&mdash; cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) <a href="https://twitter.com/cricketcomau/status/1473232273600233473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2021</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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He can whack the ball too and I can see him replacing Curran in that number 7 role where there may be times when quick runs are on offer.&nbsp;



Cruelly for owners, he ended up on 19 not out last game, just missing that crucial 20 run mark to generate the strike-rate bonus.&nbsp;



He has many big scores over 100 over a number of years and is a proven performer. He seems to be down the pecking order for Australian selection, which is a bonus for the BBL and Supercoachers.&nbsp;



He is an expensive trade in, but there are good reasons for the price tag.&nbsp;



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George Garton &#8211;&nbsp; 7.2% ownership



We have mentioned him already in previous articles, but he still represents a reasonable point of difference at current ownership levels.&nbsp;



He’s had consistent SC scoring with three scores in the 60s in the matches he has played.&nbsp;



With Agar not being selected and Siddle not at the top of his game it means that he will be bowling those important overs.&nbsp;



The Strikers batting has still not been at its best, so it looks like only a matter of time till he plays a handy innings during a power surge.&nbsp;



Nathan Ellis – 5.9% ownership



Ellis is perhaps the most predictable players in Supercoach and will bowl death and surge overs for the Hurricanes.&nbsp;



With the approaching double for the Hurricanes in Round 6, Ellis is someone who may come into your side early on in preparation.&nbsp;



He is a no risk pick who looks very unlikely to have an absolute stinker.&nbsp;



Scores of 48, 33, 59 and 54 reflect this so far this season. He doesn’t pick up lots of wickets compared to others who perform similar roles for other franchises, but there will be one occasion where he does this tournament, bowling those deaths overs and I hope he is in my side when he does!&nbsp;



He is not the worst with the bat, which is a tick when considering players to trade in.&nbsp;



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Riley Meredith – 3.5% ownership



In a similar vein to Ellis, Meredith is someone who will come under consideration for our trade ins for the Hurricanes upcoming Round 6 double game.&nbsp;



He only bowled the one over in his return game (and took a wicket) before being subbed out of the game.&nbsp;



Presuming he will play and bowl his full allotment of overs, Meredith might be someone on your radar.&nbsp;



With Paris out injured and Boland included in the Test squad for now, Hobart need his pace and ability in their bowling attack. He is someone who can score large on his day, with many scores over 100 over the past few editions of the tournament.&nbsp;



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Saqid Mahmood – 0.5% ownership&nbsp;



An unbelievable first game from Mahmood delivered 104 SC points. As we discussed on the podcast, it is difficult to ascertain whether it was down to Mahmood’s skill or a far-too-regular Heat collapse.&nbsp;



In any case, it is certainly a noteworthy debut and he needs to be on our watchlist.&nbsp;



Over in England he took only three wickets in his last five matches whilst playing for the Invincibles (short form cricket), which makes me think that it could be a flash in the pan.&nbsp;



However, he is playing in a strong batting side which means he could be bowling with some big targets to defend and wickets could be there for the taking. &nbsp;



Sam Heazlett – 6.5% ownership



A bolter for me in my article this week and someone who may be a very, very sneaky trade in to consider is Sam Heazlett.&nbsp;



There are a few asterisks and risks attached, but the main one would be that I would want to see him opening the batting.&nbsp;



He has been getting a few runs so far this tournament with scores of 42, 34, 44*and 5.&nbsp;



On the podcast this week Maxy raised some concerns in regards to strike-rate and so far this tournament they have been 114, 200, 151 and 83.&nbsp;



I definitely agree that he can be a bit scratchy and slow to start off his innings, but if he can stay with it (opening the batting), there may be some decent scores on offer. He should only be considered over the Brisbane double.&nbsp;



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Mitch Swepson &#8211; 1.2% ownership



Swepson was included in the 15-man Australian Test squad, so people would need to monitor if he was to be released back to the BBL and not miss any action. If he was to be released, I think he is the preferred spinner from the Heat at this stage when looking at possible trade targets.



He has played two games thus far and looks like he is improving the more BBL he plays with scores of 32 and then a 60.&nbsp;



He has many scores of over 100 across his career and is a wicket-taker as evidenced by 51 wickets in 51 matches.&nbsp;



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Mark Steketee &#8211; 1.4% ownership



Steketee was back with a bang in his first BBL action for the tournament, scoring 108 points. &nbsp;



The fact he hasn’t been named in that extended Australian Test squad is great for Supercoachers because it means he should be available to be involved in an extended run of BBL action. &nbsp;



Traditionally, he’s not someone who I’ve selected in my team, however, he has continued to improve as a cricketer and averaged just under 50 last year in a very reasonable season.&nbsp;



He will rise in price before the Round 6 double, so coaches will need to act quickly and prioritise him as a trade in after Round 4 has been completed.&nbsp;



Brisbane when at full strength will play two spin bowlers (Mujeeb and Swepson) and some of their pace bowlers (Bartlett, Bazley, Wildermuth) have delivered a mixed bag when bowling at pivotal moments in their games, so I expect Steketee to be called upon to bowl crucial overs during the power surge and the death.&nbsp;



He also showed he is no mug with the willow last match so that is another positive, especially with how the Heat batting line up is travelling at the moment. &nbsp;

POD Hunter: Round 5/6, unique players to find an edge

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