BBL12 kicked off with an absolute thriller last night, as the Sydney Thunder chased down 122 on the final ball of the game.

Another tight contest is expected in Adelaide on Wednesday night, where the Strikers will take on one of the best sides in BBL history – the Sydney Sixers.

Draftstars have put up a huge $30,000 contest for the season opener, as well as a Qualifier for the new Big Bash Star event.

 

Draftstars

 

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

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


Both these teams are well-placed to make a statement in BBL12, sitting among the bookies’ favourites for the title.

The Strikers enter the tournament with a rejuvenated squad, welcoming new talent both homegrown and from abroad.

Queenslanders Chris Lynn and Cameron Boyce are two locals who know this tournament well – the former has hit the most sixes in BBL history as part of his 3005 career runs, while Boyce has taken 89 wickets over several seasons. Expect both to give the Strikers a leg up this season.

Colin de Grandhomme, Adam Hose and Rashid Khan join the Strikers as overseas players for BBL 12. Khan is a known quantity as arguably the best bowler in BBL history, however, De Grandhomme and Hose are new signings. Both will add power to the Adelaide batting line-up, which will be needed while Travis Head and Alex Carey are away on international duty.

The Strikers were one game away from the big dance last year, and I fully expect them to be there at the pointy end again in 2022-23.

Sydney have also made some additions to their squad for the new season, but a core group of experienced campaigners remains.

Izharulhaq Naveed joins Englishmen Chris Jordan and James Vince on the overseas players list for BBL12, strengthening the Sixers already ace bowling attack.

With the likes of Abbott, Kerr, O’Keefe and Bird as well as the fresh signings, expect the men in magenta to again control games with the ball.

While their batting can sometimes be a weakness, the Sixers still boast plenty of talent at the top of the order with exciting opener Josh Phillipe supported by Daniel Hughes and Vince.

It’s for those reasons that the Sixers are favourites to go all the way in BBL12, after a devastating defeat in last year’s final.
 

Love It – Henry Thornton ($13,000)

Thornton exploded onto the scene late in BBL11 and blew sides away with his express pace, taking 13 wickets. He will be a crucial player for Adelaide in this campaign, and a bowler I expect batsmen to target given the dominance of Khan and Siddle. As such, I see plenty of wicket-taking opportunities for the tearaway quick.
 

Love It – Hayden Kerr ($15,700)

Kerr stepped up big time in BBL11, taking the second most wickets of any bowler (25) as well as scoring 152 runs at 38. He also cemented himself as a genuine all-rounder by scoring a memorable 98* to guide the Sixers into the final. As such, I can see him lining up at six with the bat and bowling a full complement of overs, making him a tantalising selection at under $16k.

Don’t Love It – Dan Christian ($15,300)

Christian is a respect star of the T20 arena worldwide, however he won’t be in my Draftstars team tonight. The all-rounder is often starved of opportunity batting at seven, and with seven genuine bowlers in the Sixers line-up I can’t see him getting much of a look in with the ball either. I’ll be pivoting towards Kerr as a result.

Don’t Love It – Harry Nielsen ($8,800)

I’m not tempted by the minimum price of Harry Nielsen. The stylish left-hander will line-up at seven for the Strikers, and with their batting I can’t see him having a big job to do. Even if he does spend time at the crease, his accumulation style of batting rarely leads to huge DFS scores.

Who Knows – Chris Lynn ($17,300)

BBL star Chris Lynn is here for a good time, not a long time. Joining the Strikers on a short-term basis, the big hitter will be keen to leave his mark on the competition and add to his already outstanding resume. While last season was a down one for Lynn, he is one of the few players in this league who can hit triple figures on his day. Which Lynn will we see on Wednesday?

Suggested Draftstars Line-up

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