Five players every SuperCoach BBL team must start

In seven seasons of Australia’s favourite fantasy cricket game, we have never had a round like what’s in store to kick off the new campaign.

That’s because Brisbane Heat plays three times — yes, three times.

That early fixture has placed a premium on Heat assets and most KFC SuperCoaches will stack their teams with players from Brisbane.

That appears an obvious formula to make a flying start to SuperCoach, but it’s also important you don’t miss players who are underpriced and will appreciate in value quickly.

It’s important to find the right mix between targeting doubles, triples and cash cows to get your team rolling and set yourself up for success in BBL13.

These are the five players every team should start:

1. Michael Neser (Heat) $194,000 BAT-BWL

There might not be a cricketer in Australia who is in better form that Neser. His price tag might appear high, but Brisbane Heat plays three times in the opening round of BBL13. He plundered a century against NSW last month and 90 against Victoria, putting national selectors on notice ahead of the Test summer. Selection in the Test team would be the only reason not to start Neser in your KFC SuperCoach team — and he should be your round 1 captain. Neser scored 208 points in a double last year and had four other KFC SuperCoach scores of 99 points or more in 10 rounds. If you choose to fade him and he scores 200 points or more in Brisbane’s opening-round triple, your KFC SuperCoach season could be over before it had truly started. Just pick him, captain him and enjoy the spoils in super round.

2. Glenn Maxwell (Stars) $118,300 BAT-BWL

In seven seasons of KFC SuperCoach BBL, the Stars skipper has never been this cheap. The closest Maxwell came to his starting price for BBL13 was in the 2019-20 campaign, when he finished the tournament at $137,900. That gives you an indication of the bargain you’re getting this summer. Maxwell is the type of three-dimensional cricketer who is a KFC SuperCoach dream as he can score points with the bat, ball and in the field. He’s only this cheap after missing all of last season due to injury, which resulted in a significant price discount. To give you an idea of his pointscoring prowess, Maxwell finished BBL11 with hauls of 103, 138 and 219 in KFC SuperCoach. The Stars are one of the teams on the double in round 1 too.

3. Spencer Johnson (Heat) $125,500 BWL

The big left-arm quick was one of the breakout stars of BBL12, overcoming years of injury problems to surge onto the national radar. Johnson snared nine wickets in 10 matches, emerging as one of the country’s most accurate T20 death bowlers. And his rise was a big win for KFC SuperCoaches who took a leap of faith at $42k. Johnson doubled in price by the end of the tournament, scoring 21, 65, 35, 51 and 71 KFC SuperCoach points. It’s important to target death bowlers in KFC SuperCoach as there’s when most wickets fall — and therefore points are accumulated. Johnson has that role sewn up at the Heat after his impressive finish last season.

4. Tom Curran (Sixers) $180,000 BAT-BWL

The English star is back in the BBL after almost two years and primed to have a major say in Sydney Sixers’ fortunes. Curran started BBL11 at $201k and delivered a score of 140 points in the opening round. He withdrew from that tournament two rounds later with a back issue. That was the last time Curran featured in Australia but he was one of the best scorers in KFC SuperCoach when available. He averaged 73 points in 2018-19 and 71.5 in 2019-20, seasons which included three round scores above 150. He already had a dream role for KFC SuperCoach as a death bowler batting at seven, but could be elevated in the line-up this season after Dan Christian’s retirement. The Sixers are among a host of teams who play twice in round 1.

5. Sam Billings (Heat) $116,900 WKP-BAT

Some would argue Ben McDermott should be in this spot considering he’s only $88,000. The Hurricanes don’t have a double until round 7 though and KFC SuperCoach BBL is all about maximising your returns by targeting the fixture. Instead of taking McDermott (who admittedly is underpriced), why wouldn’t you spend the extra $28k and pick English star Billings instead? His middle-order role isn’t ideal, as it means he relies on the top order failing to score maximum batting points. But considering Brisbane plays three times in round 1, you should expect at least two strong returns. And that’s more than enough to justify paying a price which is about $30k cheaper than he started BBL12.