daily fantasy sports articles
BBL12 Fantasy Tips: Wednesday Double Header Heat/Sixers and Scorchers/Thunder
The best two teams of BBL12 so far will meet on Wednesday in a season-defining clash at Optus Stadium, while the Heat will aim to heap the pain on the Sixers with a second consecutive victory.
Both games will shape the finals race, and as usual with a BBL double header there are plenty of fantasy contests to get stuck into.
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.
Sydney Sixers vs Brisbane Heat
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
Heat Squad: Jimmy Peirson (c), Xavier Bartlett, James Bazley, Sam Billings (ENG), Josh Brown (LRP), Max Bryant, Spencer Johnson, Matt Kuhnemann, Nathan McSweeney, Colin Munro (NZ), Michael Neser, Mark Steketee, Mitch Swepson, Ross Whiteley (ENG)
The Heat produced an almighty upset on Sunday night, defeating the Sixers by 15 runs in a high-scoring encounter.
Second stringers led the way for Brisbane – opener Josh Brown smashed 62 off 23 balls before Nathan McSweeney backed him up with 84 off 51 balls, propelling the Heat to 5-224 off their 20 overs.
As you’d expect, the total was too steep for the Sixers to reel it in. The men in magenta made a good fist of the chase though – Josh Phillipe (27 off 13), James Vince (41 off 24), Jordan Silk (41 off 23) and Hayden Kerr (27 off 15) all contributed as the Sixers amassed 209 in reply.
With batsmen dominating proceedings, few bowlers produced memorable performances, but Matt Kuhnemann (2-31) and Ross Whiteley (2-2) were the best of the bunch.
While Sydney will be favourites again on Wednesday night, the Heat will take plenty of confidence into this return fixture after Sunday’s victory.
Sixers vs Heat Fantasy Plays
Love It – Izharulhaq Naveed ($13,800)
Naveed has had a mixed first season in the BBL, averaging 36 DFS points. The spinners recent returns have been far below that, but I have high hopes for him in this one. The SCG is typically a spin-friendly wicket, and Naveed will thrive playing against the left-hander heavy Heat.
Don’t Love It – Mark Steketee ($15,600)
Steketee has struggled in recent weeks, averaging just 12 points in his last three games. The veteran quick was targeted by the Sixers on Sunday night, conceding 59 runs in his four overs, and I expect him to cop similar tap from the powerful Heat hitters on Wednesday.
Who Knows – Josh Brown ($12,500)
Josh Brown made a name for himself on Sunday, smacking 62 off 23 deliveries in just his second BBL game. The big-hitting Queenslander looked right at home at this level, and has earned himself a few starts at the top of the order. However, the question remains, will he be a one-hit wonder?
Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Thunder
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
Thunder Squad: Jason Sangha (C), Ben Cutting, Ollie Davies, Joel Davies, Brendan Doggett, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Alex Hales (ENG), Baxter Holt, Nathan McAndrew, Usman Qadir (PAK), Alex Ross, Rilee Rossouw (RSA), Daniel Sams, Gurinder Sandhu, Tanveer Sangha, David Warner, Sam Whiteman
This should be a cracking clash between the two top sides in BBL12.
The Scorchers have shown themselves to be the team to beat from day one. However, the Thunder have taken a different path, winning and losing in streaks to be 4-3 after seven matches.
Perth’s consistency sees them enter this game as the heavy favourite – Josh Inglis is the in-form batsman of the league with 234 runs, while Andrew Tye and Jhye Richardson are equal second in the wicket-taker rankings with 13 apiece.
On the other hand, the Thunder have surged up the table thanks to Alex Hales (245 runs) and Daniel Sams (11 wickets).
With quality on both sides, this encounter should be a fantastic spectacle of T20 cricket.
Scorchers vs Thunder Fantasy Plays
Love It – Aaron Hardie ($15,100)
Hardie returned to the role of a true all-rounder against the Renegades, bowling four overs as well as batting in the middle order. If he is trusted with the ball again against the Thunder, he has the ability to push triple figures as he did in the opening rounds. With this in mind, I think $15k is great value.
Don’t Love It – Nick Hobson ($8,800)
After spending some time at the top of the order at the start of the season, Hobson has slid back down into the middle order. Given that he is not an explosive hitter, the ceiling is quite low here for Hobson, even though he is at minimum price.
Who Knows – Rilee Rossouw ($14,200)
There was plenty of hype surrounding Rossouw heading into this tournament, but he has yet to deliver. The South African has averaged just 25 DFS points across the season, including a score of 84.25 against the Renegades. There is still time for the highly touted talent to impress though, and he will be hoping to do so on Wednesday.
Always remember to gamble responsibly. When the fun stops, stop. If gambling is having a negative impact on your life, seek support at Gambling Help Online. 18+ only.