BBL12 is back for another double header after the briefest of Christmas breaks!

Perennial contenders the Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers will host on Boxing Day as the Melbourne Stars and Adelaide Strikers look to score points away from home.

Draftstars have put up a heap of contests to suit every budget, including Qualifiers for the new Big Bash Star competition.

Here Josh Nevett will give his DFS tips for each encounter.

Draftstars

Sixers vs Stars Fantasy Plays

Sixers Squad: Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Dan Christian, Ben Dwarshuis, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Nathan Lyon, Izharulhaq Naveed (AFG), Chris Jordan (ENG), Steve O’Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Josh Philippe, Jordan Silk, James Vince (ENG), Todd Murphy, Mickey Edwards, Jack Edwards

Stars Squad: Trent Boult (NZ), Joe Burns, Hilton Cartwright, Joe Clarke (ENG), Brody Couch, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Liam Hatcher, Clint Hinchliffe, Nick Larkin, Marcus Stoinis, Beau Webster, Luke Wood (ENG), Adam Zampa, Tom O’Connell, Sam Elliott, Cam McClure, Campbell Kellaway

The Sixers and Stars sit seventh and sixth on the BBL table, respectively, far lower than they would’ve liked at this point in the season.

Sydney have been particularly disappointing given their history and strong squad, so they will be hoping to turn things around tonight.

The Stars also have just one win on the board, despite some impressive individual performances in the absence of Glenn Maxwell.

Joe Clarke is now part of the BBL centurions club, while Luke Wood took 5-fa in the Stars most recent game against the Scorchers.

However, the Stars will require a team effort to get the job done tonight.

Fantasy Plays:

Love It – Josh Phillipe ($18,900)

Paying nearly $19k for a bloke averaging less than 40 may seem like poor advice, but hear me out. Phillipe hit 43 off 21 in his last match, earning Player of the Match honours, and he seems to thrive at home. As such, I’m happy to take the risk.

Don’t Love It – Dan Christian ($13,900)

I’ve put Christian in this category a couple of times already this season and I will continue to do so unless his role or form changes. Playing almost solely as a middle-order batsman, the veteran is yet to clear 27 DFS points, a poor return at this price.

Who Knows – Marcus Stoinis (18,800)

BBL and Australia star Stoinis has a grand total of 4 DFS points from three games this season. Yes, 4. However, the big man took the ball for the first time this season against the Scorchers, a promising sign that he will return to his role as an all-rounder from now on. The more avenues a player has to score from the better, so let’s hope Stoinis keeps bowling.

Scorchers vs Strikers Fantasy Plays

Scorchers Squad: Ashton Turner (C), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Faf du Plessis (SA), Aaron Hardie, Peter Hatzoglou, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis (VC), Matt Kelly, Adam Lyth (ENG), Hamish McKenzie, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, Stephen Eskinazi

Strikers Squad: Wes Agar, Cameron Boyce, Alex Carey, Harry Conway, Colin de Grandhomme (NZ), Ryan Gibson, Travis Head, Adam Hose (ENG), Henry Hunt, Thomas Kelly, Rashid Khan (AFG), Chris Lynn, Harry Nielsen, Matt Short, Jake Weatherald, Henry Thornton, Peter Siddle

The Strikers and Scorchers have plenty of momentum heading into the new year, both sitting in the top half of the table.

In fact, Adelaide top the table with three wins from four games.

Matt Short and Henry Thornton have been matchwinners for the Strikers, managing 161 runs and 12 wickets, respectively.

For the Scorchers, Josh Inglis (149 runs) and Jhye Richardson (8 wickets) have been the standouts, which is to be expected considering both are international representatives.

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Perth though. They have had to navigate the loss of several star players, which has left the Scorchers with shaky batting depth.

Regardless, they are in a good position to challenge for the title again.

Fantasy Plays:

Love It – Matthew Short ($21,200)

Short has turned himself into a fully-fledged star of this competition, winning games with both the bat and ball. Short has only dropped below 100 DFS points once from four games, consistency that is so valuable, even at a high asking price of $21k.

Don’t Love It – Jake Weatherald ($12,100)

Weatherald has been out of sorts so far in BBL12, scoring 18 runs in four innings. Despite possessing the power to tear a game apart, the left-hander has hardly looked like troubling the scoring this season and he should be cheaper than this.

Who Knows – Ashton Agar ($17,000)

Agar has been a fantasy darling in previous BBL campaigns, however it hasn’t produced the same returns so far in BBL12. Priced at $17k, Agar is averaging just 36 points, and he has had little chance to show off his rounded abilities with the bat. I’m definitely not doubting Agar’s quality, but he is a risky pick at the moment.

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