There is still time to have a look at the top player markets ahead of the new Big Bash League season getting underway on Wednesday and the first of those will come here where we have a look at the batsmen who can be expected to go well in the tournament.
We have seen international careers launched from this competition in the past so this is the one all batsmen want to do well in. D’Arcy Short did just that last season and he earned a lucrative IPL deal and international recognition off the back of that.
Recent Winners
2017/18 – D’Arcy Short (572)
2016/17 – Ben Dunk (364)
2015/16 – Chris Lynn (378)
2014/15 – Michael Klinger (326)
2013/14 – Ben Dunk (395)
2012/13 – Shaun Marsh (412)
2011/12 – Travis Birt (309)
Favourites
D’Arcy Short is 12/1 to top the run charts again this season. No player has ever topped the run list for two seasons in a row and that is the task awaiting the Hobart Hurricanes opener. He was brilliant last season but found the IPL hard going and hasn’t really caught fire in the international arena so this tournament might have come at a good time for him. He walloped 257 in an innings in the 50 over competition earlier in the season so he’s still hitting it well and could be the one to beat even though he may miss matches when the ODIs come around.
Chris Lynn was the top scorer in the 50 over competition earlier in the campaign with two tons from his seven matches and he has also top scored in this tournament before too. He has the Brisbane captaincy which might just take the edge off his game though so 14/1 is probably a true price rather than anything special. Shane Watson generally goes well in this tournament and 14/1 might be attractive on him if Jos Buttler takes some early pressure away from him.
On the best prices there are a quartet of players at 16/1 to be the top scorer this season. Cameron White and Brendon McCullum are two of them. McCullum might thrive now he isn’t shackled with the Heat’s captaincy and that could be a good thing for his supporters. There is going to be so much pressure on White to deliver for the Renegades that it will be interesting to see how he copes with that.
Michael Klinger is a former top scorer in this tournament but he might be forced to get on with it a little more than he might usually like given the lack of firepower in the Perth Scorchers batting line up so that isn’t ideal. Ben McDermott had a great season last year and has grown since then. He looks the pick of the quartet at 16/1 it must be said.
Alex Carey is a 20/1 shot after chasing home D’Arcy Short last year. He is going to miss matches this time around though as he is firmly established in the Australia squad so that pretty much rules him out in my eyes with better value coming on his partner Jake Weatherald at 22/1. He can feast on those short square Adelaide boundaries and could be a decent enough price. It is 25/1 bar those named.
Profile
We can usually whittle the field down a little bit by applying some simple controls to who we back. The first thing to acknowledge is that we definitely want someone who is going to bat in the top four for their team. Anything lower than that and there might be a struggle for enough time at the crease to make significant impacts and if we look at the previous winners they all opened the batting which could give us a clue.
It is also fairly important to have a player who will be around for the majority of the competition. Each side only has 10 matches in the regular phase of the tournament so anyone missing matches due to international duty significantly reduces their chances of scoring big. If possible find an opener who is around for the entire season.
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Betting
Moises Henriques doesn’t open the batting for the Sydney Sixers but he should walk out at number three and that will do me this season. He has come on so much as a batsman and with hardly any batting in this Sixers side he won’t be able to play the crash, bang, wallop innings. He will need to accumulate a good number of runs for the Sixers to have any chance. Maybe later on in the innings he can open his arms but I fancy we’ll see good accumulation from Henriques over massive risk taking and that can work well. He averaged 64 in the JLT Cup so he’s in good nick and looks a fair price at 33/1.
It remains to be seen whether Sam Heazlett will open the batting for the Brisbane Heat but he shouldn’t be outside the top three. He ended up opening last season but Chris Lynn and Brendon McCullum could get that job this time around. Them staying fit for the whole season is unlikely though so I think it is worth taking him at 40/1. Only Lynn, McDermott and Short scored more runs than Heazlett in the JLT Cup earlier in the campaign and they will all be with Australia at some point in this tournament. I’ll pay to see where Heazlett bats and if he can top score off the back of wherever it is.
Tips
Back M.Henriques Top Tournament Batsman (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 34.00 with William Hill (1/4 1-4)
Back him here:
Back S.Heazlett Top Tournament Batsman (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 41.00 with Boylesports (1/4 1-4)
Back him here:
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