Seeing Double: SC prospects with double lives, Scorchers

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 its most basic, look who is the best batter and best bowler from the team on the DGW and get them into your team.

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Round 4 DGW

Perth Scorchers vs Hobart Hurricanes (Blundstone Arena) and Melbourne Renagades (Marvel Stadium)

Well, well, well. The DGW conundrum has thrown up some absolute beauties so far this season.

We’ve seen some absolute whoppers from Moises, Philippe and Matt Short and some shockers from Lynn and Christian.

Whilst it’s tempting to ditch the strategy for those who have been burned so far, you’ve got to remember that the rationale will always stay the same – two games are better than one.

It’ll also tell you that guns are the best way to play the DGW, whilst it can also prove a great time to run a POD option, just like a Qais Ahmed!

In round 4 we see the Perth Scorchers on the DGW and the Melbourne Stars on the bye.

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It’s a pretty easy trade from your Stars crew to the boys in Orange, but keep in mind that after round 4, there’s a single-game round (aka no team on the bye) and the Stars have the double in round 8.

This means that – given the available Stars are some of the biggest guns in the game – if you can hold on to one or two of your Stars and cover them with quality bench options (e.g. any Strikers you held), it may help your team structure for the SGW.

In terms of the schedule, the Scorchers have no bye straight after the round, so bring in three of them.

There’s no risk of being caught short for players next round so just do it!

The border restrictions in WA also means that the two games will be played in Hobart and Melbourne – excellent news for Tymal Mills who would have missed on game otherwise.

Marvel Stadium in Melbourne in particular provides an unpredictable pitch which can really assist the bowlers, especially spinners.

The Scorchers are boosted with three big names who missed the opening two rounds, however we were fortunate to get a look at them in round 3.

So let’s take a look at our options.

Best bat: Mitch Marsh, Josh Inglis, Colin Munro

Best bowler: Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Tymal Mills

POD: Peter Hatzoglou, Ashton Turner, Mills

Approach with caution: Matt Kelly (dropped Rd 3), Aaron Hardie (dropped Rd 3), Ashton Turner

Century for Mitchell Marsh in Big Bash League. He's in great form since early 2021.#BBL11 pic.twitter.com/37gyGQ5GjP

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) December 14, 2021

Mitch Marsh – BAT/BWL

The hero from Australia’s T20 World Cup final victory, the Scorchers skipper is available at a discounted price compared to his ability and form, despite going bonkers with a century off 60 balls in his first BBL game of the season against the Hurricanes.

While listed as a DPP, Marsh is unlikely to bowl meaning he does have a low score in him.

The confidence, form and incredible ability he showcased in white ball cricket in the last 12 months means he should be at the top of your shopping list of Scorchers and a serious skipper option.

He’s the type of player you can get and hold all season as you’ll rue missing out when he goes big. He batted at three against the Canes.

Josh Inglis – BAT/WKT

I said in pre-season that Inglis may rival Philippe for the best wicketkeeper/bat during the BBL this summer, but unfortunately a stint in the Australia A side has meant we have not had the chance to see his form yet in white ball cricket.

Unfortunately he didn’t open in his first game against the Canes, instead coming in at four with Kurtis Patterson opening, which is an issue.

However, Inglis is one of the most improved cricketers in the country. Another who is underpriced for his ability, and a guy who may fly under the radar given he’s not the household name of some of his teammates.

I still like him, but it’d be an enormous booster to see him opening in the first game of the Scorchers’ double.

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Colin Munro – BAT

We all saw the century and 154 SuperCoach points in round 2. Munro, on his day, is one of the best T20 batters in the world. But he was scratchy early and was dropped on a regulation chance in the 20s.

A slightly riskier prospect given he’s available at BAT only and won’t bowl, however Munro tends to be a guy who can get on a serious hot form streak on his day.

He has not batted at Marvel before, but maintained his opening role despite the returns of Inglis and Marsh.

His duck against Hurricanes is significant, and makes him a far trickier prospect in SuperCoach.

If he goes low again in the double we may not see the price rises we’d hoped.

Andrew Tye – BWL

The form death bowler of the competition arguably. Tye scored a 57 and 90 to start the season to quickly move from a $135k starting price up to $149k and he’s not done yet as we saw with another pair of wickets against the Hurricanes.

He’s really consistent and continues to get it done every year. Smart coaches went early on him, but he’s likely the best choice for bowlers in Orange this round.

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Jason Behrendorff – BWL

Despite not bowling much at the death, ‘Dorf has always been a huge threat with the new ball. He had scores of 39 and 76 in the first two rounds, followed by a terrific return of 1/14 off three overs against the Hurricanes, and he will set you back over $140k.

As a swing bowler, Marvel might not suit him as much as other quicks but he’s a solid choice.

Tymal Mills – BWL

A had Mills marked down as a POD choice when initially writing this article, however since that time he took 3/23 off four overs on BBL11 debut against the Canes.

The English quick arrived in Australia with a big reputation many years ago and left without truly showing fans his best. Since then, he’s rebuilt his career and become a crucial cog in the English T20 side, so much so that his untimely injury during the World Cup was largely credited for their exit at the semi-final stage.

Mills just won the T10 tournament in Abu Dhabi alongside Dre Russ, and his regular wicket-taking and surprising economy rate show interest you need to have.

Unfortunately for POD hunters he may now be far higher ownership than if he didn’t take a bag in his opener, however with several key Scorchers to target he may remain low enough ownership. He’ll likely bowl death alongside Tye.

With 101 SuperCoach points in his only game this season he’s likely to make owners decent cash.

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Ashton Agar – BAT/BWL

The price is compelling, as is his resume at international level.

In the BBL however, Agar tends to be economical without taking big bags of wickets.

He did take an impressive 2/21 off four overs against the Canes, so he’ll enter the double with a low breakeven which is encouraging.

He looks set to bat at seven, but this could alter as team changes occur.

He does provide flexibility with his DPP and is already in 28% of sides at the time of writing, so he is very popular.

He could be an astute purchase and one to hold for the season relatively risk free.

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Approach with caution: 

• Peter Hatzoglou, BWL – may not be in the side, but a player who knows conditions at Marvel well thanks to his stint at the Renegades. With spin expected to be favoured at the ground, if he makes the side he would be a decent POD with good wicket taking potential. If he was cheaper it would be an easier gamble to take.
• Kurtis Patterson, BAT – Looked unlikely to be in the Scorchers best XI to start the year, but a blazing half-century in round 1 may have just helped him keep his spot in the side longer-term as we saw him named again to opener last round despite high profile returns. He doesn’t have great job security and is seemingly in a battle with Aaron Hardie and Cameron Bancroft for the final spot in the XI, KP is the cheapest batter on their list and could be a POD if he is selected again.
• Matt Kelly, BWL – started the season with the highest round score for a non-DGW player, and looked outstanding in the process. Key returns, and the debut of Mills, saw him dropped in Round 3. He’s seemingly in a battle for the final bowler’s spot with Hatzoglou, but may not feature in either match of the double.
• Aaron Hardie, BAT/BWL – a relative cheapie allrounder, but was dropped for the Hurricanes clash. He could fire if named, but even then he doesn’t have a fantastic role batting 6 and only being require to bowl in case of emergency. He could be rotated in and out of the team too depending on the side’s preference around Kurtis Patterson.
• Ashton Turner, BAT – a tempting price for a guy who is a match winner, but is almost as likely to face less than 15 deliveries as he is to score over 20 runs given he won’t bat higher than five. If Marvel spins big he might open the bowling against Hobart given their three lefties in the top order.