BBL12 is in full swing, and Friday provides us with the first double header of the tournament.

The Melbourne Stars and Hobart Hurricanes will kick off proceedings from the MCG before the Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Thunder battle to remain undefeated at Spotless Stadium.

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

 

Draftstars

 

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

Hurricanes Squad: Asif Ali (PAK), Faheem Ashraf (PAK), Zak Crawley (ENG), Tim David, Paddy Dooley, Nathan Ellis, Caleb Jewell, Shadab Khan (PAK), Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Joel Paris, Wil Parker, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Chris Tremain, Matthew Wade, Mac Wright, Jimmy Neesham (NZ)

 

The Hurricanes enter this game as favourites and are currently one of the most fancied teams to go all the way in BBL12. They boast several attacking weapons with both bat and ball, which cannot be said for the Stars.

The Stars came up short against the Sydney Thunder in their season opener, coming painfully close to defending a measly 122. A better effort will be required against Hobart at the MCG.

Fantasy Plays

Love It – Shadab Khan ($11,300)

Pakistani import Shadab Khan is one of the best T20 spinners in the world, and he is priced far too low here. Khan took 11 wickets in Australian conditions during the T20 World Cup, so he is perfectly set to star for the Hurricanes. Furthermore, Khan should be given ample opportunities to produce cameos with the bat.

Don’t Love It – Marcus Stoinis ($19,500)

With Maxwell out, Stoinis is currently the most important player in the Stars line-up. However, his current role isn’t ideal from a fantasy perspective. Batting down in the middle order, the big man is being left with little time to build an innings. Worse still, Stoinis didn’t bowl in Game 1, so his all-rounder credentials are in danger.

Who Knows – D’Arcy Short (19,800)

Formerly considered a master blaster at the top of the order, Short has played a slightly different role in recent times. I expect the lefty to bat at three this season, leaving him plenty of room to score runs if he can recapture past form. However, the growth of Short as a spin option with the ball is what makes him a tantalising fantasy prospect. With Tim David and Shadab Khan in the line-up, it will be interesting to see if Short is trusted with the ball in this campaign.

 

Sydney Thunder vs Adelaide Strikers

Thunder Squad: Jason Sangha (C), Ben Cutting, Ollie Davies, Brendan Doggett, Fazalhaq Farooqi (AFG), 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

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

Both these teams got off to a winning start, defeating the Stars and Sixers, respectively.

The Strikers produced the more convincing performance – Matt Short, Rashid Khan and Henry Thornton all starred as Adelaide made light work of a strong Sydney side.

Regardless, I expect this to be a tight contest between two talented teams.

Fantasy Plays

Love It – Henry Thornton ($13,300)

I’m going back to the well with Thornton, after he rewarded my faith against the Sixers. The Strikers spearhead took four wickets in a dominant performance, resulting in a fantasy return of 136. Considering his price has only risen by $300, there is no reason to fade him this time around.

Don’t Love It – Brendan Doggett ($15,000)

Considering the quality of the bowling options in this slate, Doggett’s price is a little perplexing. The Thunder quick managed 27 points against the Stars, not the kind of return you want for $15k, and I’d much rather select the likes of Sams, Farooqi and Green from the Thunder ranks.

Who Knows – Jason Sangha ($15,700)

Just about everyone knows that Sangha has some serious talent with the bat, and will likely be a long-term performer across multiple formats in Australian cricket. What remains to be seen is the role that he will play in BBL12 – Sangha teased by bowling one over against the Stars, but if he can snag some more overs against Adelaide he is a great pick considering the range of scoring avenues. 
 

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