Big Bash Season Preview: Our Selections & Predictions

The Big Bash League is in full swing now and having seen the teams’ performances thus far, it is the perfect time to start picking results for the tournament’s winner, top scorers and wicket takers.

Hobart Hurricanes – $9.00 With PlayUp 

The Hurricanes were so close they could taste it last season but it wasn’t to be. If they can produce their best form we expect them to be around the mark again.

Which Batsman To Follow

D’arcy Short won the competition for most runs scored last season and we expect him to be right there again.

$1.33 to be the Hurricane’s leading batsman With PlayUp

Which Bowler To Follow

With no Archer in the team this season we expect James Faulkner to really step up and take a bag full of wickets this season.

$2.37 to be the Hurricane’s leading bowler With PlayUp

Where They Will Finish: 2nd

Brisbane Heat – $6 With PlayUp

The Heat have arguably one the best team on paper with some big international quality players such as AB De Villiers and Chris Lynn.

The issue with backing the Heat is they will be hot and cold with the likes of James Pattinson, Joe Burns & Chris Lynn all amongst the national team lists so be sure to check the team lists each week.

Which Batsman To Follow

Chris Lynn is the big hitter of the competition and will surely be leading runscorer in the majority of games he plays this BBL season.

$1.72 to be the Heat’s leading batsman With PlayUp

Which Bowler To Follow

Ben Cutting will be the go-to man for the Heat and with his stats, it’s not hard to see why.

He has taken 54 wickets from 67 matches with a strike rate of 21.

$9 to be the Heat’s leading bowler With PlayUp

Where They Will Finish: 6th

Perth Scorchers – $9 With PlayUp

With the likes of Cameron Bancroft, Ashton Turner & Mitch Marsh in their squad, the Scorchers look to have a great batting lineup but lack depth when it comes to their bowling attack.

Which Batsman To Follow

It’s difficult to see past Cameron Bancroft but we will be going with Ashton Turner this season.

He managed 378 runs with an average of 31.50 in BBL08 and we’re sure he will be back firing this season.

$11 to be the Scorchers’ leading batsman With PlayUp

Which Bowler To Follow

Chris Jordan will be making his debut for the Scorchers this season and his talent as a right arm med-fast bowler will see him take a bulk of the wickets.

$1.67 to be the Scorchers’ leading bowler With PlayUp

Where They Will Finish: 8th

Sydney Sixers – $9 With PlayUp

Moises Henriques and Sean Abbott headline the Sixers lineup and they will be looking to build on their BBL08 season where they made the semi-finals.

Which Batsman To Follow

Daniel Hughes managed to finish as the Sixers’ leading runscorer last season with 399 runs which was 95 runs higher than any other Sixers batsman.

$8 to be the Sixers’ leading batsman With PlayUp

Which Bowler To Follow

Sean Abbott is clearly the bowler to follow here and is arguably the best bowler in the competition.

He finished with 22 wickets last season and should finish close to that mark again.

$3.25 to be the Sixers’ leading bowler With PlayUp

Where They Will Finish: 5th

Melbourne Renegades – $7 With PlayUp

The Aaron Finch captained Renegades are the reigning champions and will be a very hard team to beat again this season.

Expect them to lose their captain to the one-day squad during the season.

Which Batsman To Follow

Sam Harper is always reliable for runscorer betting and after finishing as the Renegades’ top runscorer last season he is sure to be full of confidence and looking to do it again this season.

$3.75 to be the Renegades’ leading batsman With PlayUp

Which Bowler To Follow

Kane Richardson finished as the league’s top wicket-taker last season and will be expected to do the same again this season so there’s no doubt he is the bowler to follow here.

$4.00 to be the Renegades’ leading bowler With PlayUp

Where They Will Finish: 4th

Sydney Thunder – $5.5o With PlayUp

Thunder fans would’ve been disappointed with their team’s BBL08 season after just falling short of a finals position.

They have a relatively young squad so if they can string a couple of wins together to grow their confidence then look for them to be big improvers.

Which Batsman To Follow

Captain Callum Ferguson is the strike batsman here and after his last season where he finished on 442 runs with an average of 34.00, it is clear to see he is the batsman we’d like to follow.

$3 to be the Thunder’s leading batsman With PlayUp

Which Bowler To Follow

Daniel Sams showed his talent last year when finishing as the Thunder’s top wicket-taker and will no doubt be in the mix again this year but expect Ahmed to be close on his heels.

$1.91 to be the Thunder’s leading bowler With PlayUp

Where They Will Finish: 3rd

Melbourne Stars – $4.20 With PlayUp

The Stars had were grand finalists in BBL08 but with Maxwell fresh and ready to go after a break and Dale Steyn looking ready to fire in some yorkers we expect they could go one better this season.

Which Batsman To Follow

Marcus Stoinis was one of the competitions best batsmen last season and we expect him to just hold out Glen Maxwell.

$2.50 to be the Stars’ leading batsman With PlayUp

Which Bowler To Follow

After losing Bravo this season the Stars were quick to move on Dale Steyn and we expect his class to rise above.

$26 to be the Stars’ leading bowler With PlayUp

Where They Will Finish: 1st

Adelaide Strikers – $6.50 With PlayUp

The Strikers had a disappointing season in BBL08 and it will be hard for them to turn it around this season

Their worry is that Travis Head looks as if he will hold a spot in the test team which will have the Strikers down an important man coming in and out of the squad for most of the competition.

Which Batsman To Follow

Jonathan Wells is the man to follow here after a solid BBL08. He managed 359 runs with an average of 44.87 which if he can improve on will see him as one of the competitions leading runscorers this season.

$6 to be the Strikers’ leading batsman With PlayUp

Which Bowler To Follow

Rashid Khan is an important part of the strikers and is arguably one of the best spin bowlers in the world.

Look for him to be the teams leading wicket-takers week in and week out.

$2.37 to be the Strikers’ leading bowler With PlayUp

Where They Will Finish: 7th

BBL09 Leading Players:

Leading Wicket Taker: Kane Richardson

Leading Runscorer: D’arcy Short – $6 With PlayUp