daily fantasy sports articles

BBL08 heads to the MCG for the first time this season with the blockbuster Melbourne Derby on New Years Day between the Melbourne Stars and the Melbourne Renegades. The Stars notched up their first win of the season last match against the Sydney Sixers in Sydney and will be fired up finally getting onto their home ground. The Renegades started their campaign impressively but failed to chase down the Sixers’ 132 last time at Marvel Stadium so will be looking to bounce back.

For just $2 on every home and away game of BBL08 you can win entry to the first ever live final in Australian DFS history with the Draftstars “Biggest Bash” contest. If you take first place in the qualifier you win the chance to compete for a $50,000 first prize as well as flights and accommodation to Crown Melbourne for a VIP event on February 17. Check out our interview with Jason Knox aka “Knoxinator”, who won the first qualifier this season with just one lineup entered!

If you are new to Big Bash DFS, we have an overview of all the DFS contest on offer throughout BBL08.

We also have full profiles of the squads of all eight Big Bash teams, so you can read up on any of the Melbourne Stars or Melbourne Renegades players you may not be familiar with prior to building your lineups.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground has been quite bowler-friendly in recent seasons returning very similar numbers to the SCG with low boundary numbers, perhaps reflective of the long boundaries. Teams batting first have produced very low runs per wicket and runs per over numbers, and have only won 20% of complete matches as a result. These figures suggest a lean to playing bowlers and the steady batsmen batting 2^nd as a low first innings score can make for a controlled chase requiring little risk.

This season at DFR we are providing Draftstars Cheat Sheets for the 13 players named in each squad, offering projections and a salary-based value figure. Cricket is a volatile DFS sport so player scores can vary greatly from match to match, however we aim to provide a figure based on historical data as a starting point for your lineup construction.

BATSMEN

If this match follows the usual MCG pattern of low scoring contests then Dwayne Bravo ($16,500) holds obvious appeal with his all-round talents. He has taken 3 wickets across 3 games so far but may also get greater opportunity with the bat if the Stars are to lose early wickets. As he showed last season he has 100+ point upside and his range of tricks with the ball will be hard to get to the long boundaries of the MCG. Add to that this is his first game against his old side an he looks a great play for a range of different outcomes.

Glenn Maxwell ($18,700) was given the full 4 overs with the ball against the Sixers and performed well, taking 1/27. Given that is a spinner’s pitch he may not get the same opportunity back at the MCG but he has bowled in all 3 matches which is encouraging. Against Hobart he looked in good touch with a quick-fire 47 and he is always a threat of a blistering innings that can win you a GPP. He is always in play and is priced reasonably considering his upside.

Sam Harper ($11,700) started the season with 36 and 28 with the bat before being dropped way down the order last time and he didn’t respond well, getting a golden duck. With Ludeman out of the side he should take the gloves which provides a small boost, but more importantly he may be thrown back to the top of the order where he had previously thrived. Keep an eye on the team announcements as he is well priced if he gets given more responsibility in the batting order.

BOWLERS

Sandeep Lamichhane ($17,000) has been exceptional for the Stars in his three games so far with an average of 77.3 and a low score of 50. He is priced right up now but is both a genuine wicket taker and able to restrict runs which gives him the upside required at this salary. He looks one of the safer options among the bowlers in this match.

Kane Richardson ($15,200) is quietly putting together an excellent campaign with 8 wickets across his three matches, twice earning an economy bonus. Something to think about with Richardson, and in fact with all the Renegades bowlers, is his numbers are boosted by what has been an extremely bowler-friendly Marvel Stadium pitch. He took 2/39 in his one game away from home in Adelaide, highlighting he can still take wickets but his economy can suffer. Over the past couple of seasons he has taken over 1.5 wickets per innings which is terrific and he is playable on that basis.

Reliable cheap bowling options look hard to come by in this match so maybe you are better placed to spend up on your bowlers and save money with your batsmen. Mohammed Nabi ($20,500) and Daniel Christian ($16,900) are the obvious bowling all-rounders to spend up on and have had plenty of opportunity with the bat, which could eventuate again if bowlers dominate the top orders. Neither have set the world alight with the ball, which may provide lower ownership at these prices, especially in the case of Nabi who’s two games under 40 may be testing his fans at this salary.

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