Watchlist: Ranking every club’s trade targets, Rd 6 & 7

Each round this season, I’ll share a list of my trade targets, ranked in order of priority and value.

This season I’ve separated them out by team, to assist with trade planning for double game and bye rounds. 

(Note prices are before this round’s changes)

Adelaide Strikers 

1. Jamie Overton ($192.7k bat/bowl)
2. Matt Short ($283k bat/bowl)

Overton still looks essential, especially following a promotion to no. 5 in the batting order. 

I still have a few question marks over Matt Short for this round. He’s been elite with the bat, but can he repeat it against the Scorchers’ world-class attack?

Also, somewhat concerningly, he only bowled the one over towards the back end of the innings last round. 

PRICE DROP! We’ve dropped out BBL package to just $20! Support the site and gain access to stacks of additional premium articles each week, major unlimited group prize money, our Whatsapp community featuring QnAs with our team of contributors, late mail, and plenty of other bonus features. SUBSCRIBE HERE!

Embed from Getty Images

Brisbane Heat 

1. Xavier Bartlett ($171.5k bowl)
2. Paul Walter ($155.1k bat / bowl)

You could make a case for many more Heat options for their round 7 double.

However, I’m heeding Andrew Langley’s advice of avoiding players who play each other.

The Heat play the Scorchers and Hurricanes in round 7, who are the other two teams on the double that round. Scorchers and Hurricanes don’t play each other that round, so I’ll be focussing on players from those teams. 

Nonetheless, Walter and Bartlett are two options that could be too good to ignore.

Of the two, I’d lean towards Bartlett as the preferred option for the Heat now, provided you have a bowler spot available for him.

He has landed an excellent role, bowling death and batting 7 more often than 8. He looks great on the eye test and has the stats to back it up. 

Embed from Getty Images

Hobart Hurricanes

1. Nathan Ellis ($123k bowl)
2. Chris Jordan ($135.6k bat/bowl)
3. Nikhil Chaudhary ($80.2k bat/bowl)
4. Ben McDermott ($81.3k wkp/bat)
5. Riley Meredith ($123.9k bowl)
6. Matthew Wade ($149.6k wkp/bat)
7. Caleb Jewell ($114.8k bat)
8. Mac Wright (140.4K bat)

Added: Nathan Ellis, Riley Meredith, Matthew Wade

Removed: Tim David 

Ellis is a proven SC gun of years gone by, averaging around 50 for the last 3 seasons. He’ll come in at great value in time for the Canes’ round 7 double.

Jordan has settled into a nice role with the Canes, bowling his share of powerplay and death overs.

He’s capable with the willow, too, as he showed with his 59 earlier in the tournament. Unfortunately, he may see limited opportunities now batting at 8.

Chaudhary continues to impress at every opportunity. If he bowls 4 overs again in round 6, I could make a case for him as a better option than Jordan, especially at a cheaper price. 

Feeling uneasy with how much you’re gambling with? You’re not alone, sport fans love a punt, but sometimes it can get a bit out of control. There’s help available with Gareth and the team at CECAL. Make the call and get in contact here: https://bit.ly/3L2yG1W

McDermott is still great value. My only reservation is less opportunity batting at 4. However, it worked well for him this round. 

Meredith has flirted with SC gun status in the past, averaging around 45 in the last few seasons. He’s another who will come in discounted in time for the double. Nonetheless, I prefer the roles of Ellis, Jordan and potentially Chaudhary.

Matty Wade’s ceiling means he’s always in play for double rounds. He looks in decent touch this season, but I prefer the Canes’ bowlers and allrounders as more consistent options. 

Caleb Jewell has been performing about 10 points shy of his SC average from last season, so is relatively cheap. He’s a solid opener and certainly capable of a big score on the double. I’d still target bowlers and allrounders first, but he could be an option for a batting slot.

Mac Wright is on somewhat of a hot streak, with SC scores of 108, 58 and 64 so far this season. He’ll be pricey coming into the double but is clearly in good touch. It would be a massive punt at the price, but he’s also currently on 3% owned, which I wouldn’t expect to rise much at all, making him a huge point of difference play. 

Melbourne Renegades

Nil

Still no interest from me in the Gades at the moment now that their doubles have passed. Sutherland could be worth a look again for the closing rounds, but teams with doubles are the priority for now. 

Embed from Getty Images

Melbourne Stars

1. Glenn Maxwell ($161.3k bat/bowl)

Removed: Beau Webster, Imad Wasim, Dan Lawrence, Mark Steketee

With some relief, we can all move on from the Stars now. There is a temptation to sell Maxwell for the Stars’ bye, to free up cash.

If you do, make sure you get him back, at least for round 8, when he’ll be a prime captaincy option. His current bowling form is taking him to elite SC levels. 

Embed from Getty Images

Perth Scorchers 

1. Josh Inglis ($133.6k wkp/bat)
2. Aaron Hardie ($207.7k bat/bowl)
3. Jhye Richardson ($170k bowl)
4. Andrew Tye ($151k bowl)
5. Lance Morris ($161.2k bowl)
6. Jason Behrendorff ($202.1k bowl)
7. Zak Crawley ($138.6k bat)
8. Cooper Connolly ($87.8k bat/bowl)
9. Ashton Agar (112.7k bat/bowl)
10. Laurie Evans (bat)

Added: Ashton Agar

Removed: Sam Whiteman 

As we tick over the halfway point in the season, there is a massive fixture swing, with the best team in the Big Bash coming into back-to-back doubles. You can make a case for just about any of them, so prioritising is no easy task, but here goes.

I’ve got Inglis as the number one target. He’s the only wicketkeeper available with back-to-back doubles, and he’s an elite SC scorer despite batting at 4, as demonstrated by his 2022-23 SC average of 57.9. 

Following that, I’ve got Aaron Hardie due to his high ceiling and sublime form. He’s a captaincy candidate, and with a break-even of -23, it’s now or never for him. 

Embed from Getty Images

Third was a tight call. I’ve gone with Andrew Tye, as he’s been bowling the 20th over for the Scorchers, which is a gold mine for SC points.

He is also the cheapest of the Scorchers quicks and also has a low breakeven coming into this round (3). He’s done it year-on-year for the Scorchers and his role is excellent, bowling death for the best team in the competition.

In fourth I have Jhye Richardson, who comes in at a $77k discount on his starting price. He’s only averaging 32 this season, but his SC pedigree can’t be denied, with season averages of 79.7, 64.4 and 58.1 in his last 3 seasons.  The coaching staff have recently been quoted as saying Jhye is back to his best. Rotation is a worry as with all the Scorchers’ quicks. Nonetheless, I’m happy to back that they’ll each play at least 3 games out of 4 over the next two rounds. 

Managing debt can feel like facing Binga Lee without a helmet a times. Get some advice to consolidate your debts, and take away the stress, by contacting Pat and George from Mortgage Choice SCW to get you on the right track. Save $129 by mentioning SC Playbook for a FREE CONSULT!

Fifth is the electric Lance Morris. He’s already averaging 49 this season, and at his age, I expect him to continue to get better the more games he plays. 

Sixth is somewhat controversial, given he is the highest averaging player from the Scorchers’ attack – Behrendorff is a Supercoach weapon and has averaged 66.8 so far this season. However, we can’t have them all and Behrendorff is the priciest Scorchers’ bowler.  I find it hard to justify him over the other 3 quicks, given his price and similar scoring ability.

Zak Crawley looks like a decent bat option. He opened his BBL season with 65 not out (46 balls), suggesting he’s adapted well to Aussie conditions. He reminds me a bit of the likes of Bancroft and Webster as a reliable bat who can anchor an innings. 

Fellow opener Cooper Connolly is yet to hit his straps this BBL. However, he’s still value provided that he continues to open. 

Ashton Agar and Laurie Evans could offer some value. Agar is economical but not a noted wicket taker. His best SC scoring in the past has been from allround efforts and batting at 7 in a strong Scorchers’ team he may not get the opportunity.

Evans has a strong career T20 record (averaging 31.88 striking at 137 with the bat). However, he’s only had 1 bat from 5 matches so far this BBL, as the batsman above have got the job done each game.

He’s cheap and will get chances eventually but at 5 they’ll likely continue to be limited. Best case scenario would be that he moves to opener, but Perth also have Eskinazi waiting in the wings.

Embed from Getty Images

Sydney Sixers

Nil

Still have no interest in any Sixers, as Edwards has made most of his cash. Edwards will also likely take on a reduced role when Tom Curran returns in round 6.

Sydney Thunder 

Removed: Daniel Sams 

Thunder are now on the bye, so it’s just a case of who to hold for looping. They do have the double in round 9, so holding could be handy, but many of us won’t have the luxury, with cash needed over the next few rounds.