Welcome to the Squads so far where we explore the list management side of Australia's favourite cricket league. I will give an unbiased ranking of every player in every position at your team as well as those out of contract. There is a short paragraph explaining everything and giving my opinion. Feel free to share your team and your personal opinion in the comments.
Before we start, more of my content can be found in the subreddits r/TheBigBashLeague and r/AusCricket. My website is https://willos20086.wixsite.com/wozabeesportwriting.
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Adelaide Strikers So Far (Unbiased Ranking through Roles)
Batters | All Rounders | Bowlers |
Alex Ross | Matt Short | Cameron Boyce |
Jake Weatherald | D’Arcy Short | Jordan Buckingham |
| James Bazley | Brendon Doggett |
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Proposed Line-Up (First Game):
Matt Short
D’Arcy Short
(Chris Lynn)
Jake Weatherald
Alex Ross
International Batter
Domestic Keeper (Nielsen?)
James Bazley
(Rashid Khan)
Cameron Boyce
International Quick
Out of Contract from BBL13:
Alex Carey, Travis Head, Henry Hunt, Thomas Kelly, Chris Lynn, Ben Manenti, Harry Nielsen, Henry Thornton
BBL13 Internationals:
Jamie Overton, David Payne, Adam Hose, Rashid Khan (Withdrew through injury)
The Strikers by assumption should move quickly to resign Chris Lynn and to sign Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan before the draft. The loss of Wes Agar through an earlier trade has opened the door for a contract for Jordan Buckingham, who could get some action if he maintains good form. The batting line-up is to be very strong with the Shorts, the possibility of Chris Lynn returning and the acquisition of Alex Ross who may be the underrated signing of the year. The bowling-line up looks shaky but that can be negated with the international draft and another domestic signing. Henry Thornton is another player that the Strikers must resign.
Brisbane Heat So Far (Unbiased Ranking through Roles)
Batters | All Rounders | Bowlers |
Usman Khawaja (AUS) | Michael Neser (AUS F) | Spencer Johnson |
Matthew Renshaw (AUS F) |
| Mitchell Swepson (AUS F) |
Colin Munro |
| Xavier Bartlett |
Jimmy Peirson |
| Matthew Kuhnemann |
Nathan Mcsweeney |
| Will Prestwidge |
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Proposed Line Up (First Game):
International Opener
Nathan McSweeney
Matthew Renshaw
International Batter
Domestic Batter
International All Rounder
Jimmy Peirson
Spencer Johnson
Xavier Bartlett
Matthew Kuhnemann
Mitchell Swepson
Out of Contract from BBL13:
Max Bryant, Marnus Labuschagne, Jack Wildermuth, Jack Wood
BBL13 Internationals:
Sam Billings, Colin Munro, Paul Walter
If the Heat are to win back-to-back tournaments, they are reliant on their fringe Australian players not being selected. Micheal Neser, Mitchell Swepson and Matthew Renshaw simply must be available for the heat, Khawaja is unlikely to be available for much of the season. The batting line-up really needs to be bolstered both domestically and internationally, to be able to replace these fringe test players when needed and to support arguably the league’s best bowling line-up. Nic Maddison, Jon Wells and Joe Burns are some experienced players that could boost the batting power that the Heat possess. Theres some work to do but the Heat have shown they can find a way.
Hobart Hurricanes so far (Unbiased Rankings through Roles):
Batters | All Rounders | Bowlers |
Matthew Wade | Chris Jordon | Nathan Ellis |
Ben McDermott | Tim David | Riley Meredith |
Caleb Jewell | Nikhil Chaudhary | Patrick Dooley |
Mac Wright |
| Peter Hatzoglou |
Charlie Wakim |
| Mitch Owen |
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Predicted Line up (First Game):
Matthew Wade
Caleb Jewell
Ben McDermott
International Batter
Tim David
Nikhil Chaudhary
Chris Jordon
Nathan Ellis
Riley Meredith
Patrick Dooley
International Bowler
Out of Contract from BBL13:
Iain Carlisle, Liam Guthrie, Sam Heazlett, Billy Stanlake
BBL13 Internationals:
Chris Jordon, Corey Anderson, Sam Hain
The Cane-Train looks pretty set personnel wise with what looks like a decent domestic list. The signing of Chris Jordon is a key-signing for a team which is looking for some consistency, and a first trophy. A lot of this upcoming season for the canes is reliant on McDermott and David finding better form then last season and the continued development of Chaudhary who was the find of BBL13. If anything for the Canes, they could target a depth fast bowler such as Jack Wildermuth or they could try for a veteran quick such as Nathan Coulter-Nile or Jackson Bird.
Melbourne Renegades So Far (Unbiased Ranking through Roles)
Batters | All Rounders | Bowlers |
Jake Fraser-McGurk | Will Sutherland | Adam Zampa |
Josh Brown |
| Nathan Lyon AUS F |
Harry Dixon |
| Kane Richardson |
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| Tom Rogers |
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Proposed Line-Up (First Game):
Josh Brown
International (Clarke or De Kock?)
Rooster (JFM)
International Batter or All Rounder
Domestic Batter
Domestic Batter
Will Sutherland
Adam Zampa
Kane Richardson
Tom Rogers
International Quick
Out of Contract from BBL13:
Mackenzie Harvey, Ruwantha Kellapotha, Nic Maddinson, Fergus O'Neill, Peter Siddle, Jon Wells
BBL13 Internationals:
Quinton De Kock, Joe Clarke, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
In my opinion, the Renegades have the most work to do, especially in the batting department after the retirements of Finch and Marsh. At the moment I only have JFM and Josh Brown; the first off season acquisition for the Gades, as well as all rounder and skipper Sutherland as the only batters in the team. They need 2-3 more domestic batters and 2 internationals, including a wicketkeeper. Here me out but the Gades would certainly have the cap space to make a big play and sign Chris Lynn. Otherwise, unless trades occur there isn’t too much established batters other than Joe Burns and players that the Renegades haven’t yet signed. Do they bring Nic Maddinson back? Jon Wells? Mackenzie Harvey? Lots of batting questions for the Gades. The bowling does look quite established and good, maybe some fast-bowling depth could be useful.
Melbourne Stars So Far (Unbiased Ranking through Roles)
Batters | All Rounders | Bowlers |
Hilton Cartwright | Glenn Maxwell | Scott Boland AUS F |
Sam Harper | Tom Curran | Mark Steketee |
Tom Rogers | Marcus Stoinis | Joel Paris |
Campbell Kellaway | Beau Webster |
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Proposed Line-Up (First Game):
Marcus Stoinis
Tom Rogers (Conditional; Max Bryant)
Beau Webster
Glenn Maxwell
International Batter
Hilton Cartwright
Tom Curran
Sam Harper
Mark Steketee
Joel Paris/ (Hamish McKenzie (Rumored to sign with the Stars))
International Spin/ Quick (Based on what’s required)
Out of Contract from BBL13:
Joe Burns, Brody Couch, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Corey Rocchiccioli
BBL13 Internationals:
Haris Rauf, Usama Mir, Imad Wasim, Dan Lawrence, Harry Brook (Withdrew), Liam Dawson, Olly Stone
There are no excuses for the Stars this tournament. Barring injuries and National Call-ups this team just must make finals, in my slightly biased opinion the Stars are too good not to make finals. Tom Curran is a massive coup for the men in green, gaining him for every game as well as finals is huge. Not to mention the Stars have the first pick in the international draft. They just must make finals. The reason that some spots are listed as conditional or with names in brackets is due to rumours and speculation of certain players signing with the stars, which matches up as the club has announced that more signings will be announced next week. Hamish McKenzie from the Scorchers and Max Byrant from the Heat are both rumoured to be signing with the stars, which would be good domestic signings if true. We will wait and see next week, but it remains that Peter Moores and the Stars must make finals with this team.
Perth Scorchers So Far (Unbiased Ranking through Roles)
Batters | All Rounders | Bowlers |
Josh Inglis AUS F | Mitch Marsh AUS | Jason Behrendorff |
Cooper Connolly | Aaron Hardie | Jhye Richardson |
| Ashton Turner | Lance Morris AUS F |
| Ashton Agar | Matthew Kelly |
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Proposed Line-Up (First Game):
Cooper Connolly
International Opener
Aaron Hardie
Josh Inglis
International Batter
Ashton Turner
Ashton Agar
International Spin
Jason Behrendorff
Jhye Richardson
Lance Morris/ (Andrew Tye)
Out of Contract from BBL13:
Liam Hassett, Nick Hobson, Hamish McKenzie, Sam Whiteman, Andrew Tye
BBL13 Internationals:
Zak Crawley, Laurie Evans
The Scorchers are doing what they do best, keeping their consistency going and retaining the same players. That strategy works well for them as evidenced by the amount of title wins. The Domestic list is pretty much set for the season, with only really depth needed to be signed, as well as AJ Tye if he chooses to return for another season. With the new draft rules, as well as the likelihood of not having Mitch Marsh for most of the season, one would expect the Scorchers to take more international selections this time round. Ashton Turner back from injury is a big boost to the team and was probably the reason why they didn’t win last year. Expect them to be near the top of the table again.
Sydney Sixers So Far (Unbiased Ranking through Roles)
Batters | All Rounders | Bowlers |
Josh Philippe | Sean Abbott | Ben Dwarshuis |
Jordan Silk | Moises Henriques | Todd Murphy |
Daniel Hughes | Hayden Kerr |
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Kurtis Patterson | Jack Edwards |
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| Joel Davies |
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Proposed Line-Up (First Game):
Josh Philippe
International Opener
Daniel Hughes
Moises Henriques
Jordan Silk
International Batter
Jack Edwards
International Bowler
Sean Abbott
Ben Dwarshuis
Todd Murphy
Out of Contract from BBL13:
Jackson Bird, Mitch Perry, Steve Smith
BBL13 Internationals:
Tom Curran, Rehan Ahmed (Withdrew), James Vince, Izharulhaq Naveed
The Sixers look to be very set again, retaining their top liners and their best team after their runner-up season last year. They will not get Tom Curran back after he joined the Stars for the next 2 years but that shouldn’t worry them too much due to the All-Rounders they already have in the team. Some of the key components of the team such as Henriques and Hughes are starting to get older and Steve O’ Keefe has retired, so it’s up to the young people on the team to start to stand up. International wise the Sixers might opt for some extra batting help and a bowler as well. Steve Smith would be a good player to get back for whenever he can play, Josh Hazlewood has also spent time at the Sixers in the past as well as Mitchell Starc so those 2 would be premium options to try and lure back.
Sydney Thunder So Far (Unbiased Ranking through Roles)
Batters | All Rounders | Bowlers |
Sam Billings | Daniel Sams | Wes Agar |
Cameron Bancroft | Chris Green | Tanveer Sangha |
Jason Sangha | Nathan McAndrew | Liam Hatcher |
Ollie Davies | William Saltzmann |
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Matthew Gilkes |
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Sam Konstas |
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Proposed Line-Up (First Game):
Cameron Bancroft
(David Warner)
Jason Sangha
Sam Billings
Ollie Davies
International Batter
Daniel Sams
Chris Green
Wes Agar
Tanveer Sangha
International Quick
Out of Contract from BBL13:
Liam Doddrell, Blake Nikitaras, Gurinder Sandhu, David Warner
BBL13 Internationals:
Alex Hales, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Zaman Khan
The Thunder don’t look too bad this tournament, especially if David Warner signs on. Wes Agar is a welcome boost to the bowling department, although Alex Ross is quite a loss to the batting department. This impact can very much be lessened if Ollie Davies and Jason Sangha continue to rise. The Thunder will need to nail their other international picks to be in tournament contention. Sam Billings is a good pick up for the Thunder, to play all games as well as any finals they make. The Thunder have a history of picking up relatively unknown fast bowlers and those bowlers taking lots of wickets so I wonder if that will continue this tournament.
Coming next week for AFL Fans is a deepdive into the free agents that remain unsigned, and their possible futures coming after this season. AFL UNSIGNED Part 1: Coming Tuesday Morning.
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