The Big Bash continues its spree of double headers, and a good thing with no Test cricket to watch on the last few days of the match. We kick things off on this Wednesday night with the Sixers hosting the Heat at the SCG. The Sixers are cruising at 5-1, while the Heat need to respond quickly to their 2-4 start to the season. Sydney should give us some clear skies for a full night of cricket.

 

Draftstars has put up a $20,000 contest, with top prize $2,184. There is also the High Roller, Mini, Micro and several other great contests.

 

 

Expected Sixers Xl: Phillipe, Vince, Hughes, Henriques, Silk, Christian, Dwarshuis, Kerr, Abbott, Khan, Pope

 

Expected Heat Xl: Bryant, Lynn, Duckett, Heazlett, Cooper, Peirson, Bazley, Guthrie, Kuhnemann, Steketee, Mujeeb

 

The Sixers are $1.63 favourites, which is hard to argue with given the form we’ve seen from both teams. The probable addition of Shadab Khan to the lineup will only strengthen an already formidable outfit. Dan Hughes played a rare, good innings to contribute to the win last time out, while Hayden Kerr continues to excel in what is fast becoming a breakout season for the strong quick.

 

The Heat aren’t winning, but they also aren’t capitulating the way we’ve often seen in the past. Genuine progress has come in the form of Ben Duckett playing well at no 3 and Sam Heazlett providing more consistent substance in the middle order. The bowling unit is fine, although it is concerning that Mujeeb has yet to put on a big performance 6 games into the season. Surely that changes very soon.

 

Looking for Draftstars scores from previous editions from the BBL? Our Free Players Logs + Ground Fantasy breakdowns are now available in Data Tools

 

Love It - Hayden Kerr $14,300

It’s taken me a while to get on board, but 4/6 scores of 50+ is hard to ignore. With an average of 13 from his 5 BBL games before this season, Kerr is averaging 49 Draftstars points this season on the back of consistent wicket-taking. While the Heat batting order has stiffened up a little this season, there still should be enough wickets on offer to give him a chance to continue the scoring spree. Given the BAT/BWL eligibility, I think Kerr is a nice way to build a heavy Sixers stack if you think this game gets out of hand.

 

Love It - Mujeeb Ur Rahman $14,000

Now for a bowler who is not performing anywhere near his usual level, having averaged 55 prior to this season and now going at just 19. With only one decent score so far, his price has tumbled to a level we wouldn’t have seen for a few years. Despite the tough matchup, I’m a big believer in his talent (he was great at the recent World Cup), and I think this is a time to trust that he’ll return to normal service soon enough, therefore making this a huge bargain.

 

Don’t Love It - Mark Steketee $17,000

While Mujeeb has struggled, teammate Steketee has strung together three monster scores in his only starts of the season. His average hovers just below the 40 mark for the last few seasons, so we know that what we’ve been seeing so far is wildly unsustainable even if he is in his prime years. With his price soaring to new levels, I’ll be taking it easy with any Steketee exposure and trusting that the quiet scores are coming to even things out.

 

Don’t Love It - James Vince $16,900

Vince is in a different category, with only one decent score this season, but a price tag that refuses to budge. Historically a 40+ averaging player, his number is just above 30 for this season so far, but he just hasn’t showed any kind of form that would justify expecting a big performance. With the likes of Steketee, Mujeeb & Guthrie to negotiate at the start of the innings, I’m going to bet against Vince coming good just yet and hope that his price tag starts to drop soon enough.

 

Who Knows - Dan Hughes $10,700

I’ve pointed out once this year how bad Hughes has been for the last 3 seasons or so, but last game he finally played an innings of substance for 105 points. Do we dare take a shot on him doing it again given how cheap he is, or is it better to trust the history and understand that lightning is unlikely to strike twice? My feeling is that the heat has enough dangerous bowlers for me to bet against Hughes succeeding again, but it doesn’t take all that much to succeed at this price.

 

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