The tenth season of the Big Bash League gets going on Thursday when the eight Australian franchises prepare to do battle over a series of venues for the right to be crowned the champions after nearly two months of action.
The Sydney Sixers were crowned champions for the second time last season and they will be looking to make a successful defence of the title but in this year of much change they will have their work cut out to keep their crown.
Recent Winners
2019-20 – Sydney Sixers
2018-19 – Melbourne Renegades
2017-18 – Adelaide Strikers
2016-17 – Perth Scorchers
2015-16 – Sydney Thunder
2014-15 – Perth Scorchers
2013-14 – Perth Scorchers
2012-13 – Brisbane Heat
2011-12 – Sydney Sixers
Format Changes
The teams still play each other twice and the top five still make it through to the play-offs but there are some big changes for this Big Bash League season. The first of them is that the teams can each have three overseas players as opposed to the two of past seasons. Another significant change is that there are three points for a win now while one point will be awarded to the team who is ahead after 10 overs. The other change is that there are only four overs of Powerplay now with the batting side getting to choose when to take the other two overs of fielding restrictions. The final change is that a substitution is allowed during the game.
The Favourites
Despite having never won the title before the Melbourne Stars are the 4/1 favourites to put that right this season. They have made the last two finals so there is a feeling that they are getting closer but until they get over the line you have to have some concerns. One positive for them this season is that Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis won’t leave for international commitments halfway through the campaign while the addition of Nicholas Pooran looks a good one. Losing Haris Rauf might be an issue though but the Stars look strong still.
The Perth Scorchers remain the only team in the competition to have won the tournament three times making them the most successful unit in Big Bash League history. They missed out on the play-offs last season but have added good power to their ranks with Joe Clarke, Colin Munro and Jason Roy all good overseas players and the return from injury of Jason Behrendorff and Andrew Tye will naturally strengthen their bowling attack. They are another side who won’t be losing players to international duty halfway through but don’t look as strong as they did when they played at the WACA. That home advantage has gone since they moved to the new stadium and even then it is dissipated with so many neutral games this year. They’re respected but they’re not for me at 9/2.
The Contenders
The Adelaide Strikers are former winners of the competition and any side that has Rashid Khan in their ranks have to be respected at 11/2. The Strikers made the postseason last term so they don’t have a whole lot that they need to find. Their batting has been their weakness over recent seasons but they won’t lose Alex Carey this term and the addition of Matt Renshaw looks solid enough. They still look a batsman or two light to me so even though they are respected with their attack, they are not for me this year.
The defending champions the Sydney Sixers are 6/1 shots to keep their title. Tom Curran has withdrawn on the eve of the tournament but the Sixers still look a stronger unit with the likes of Dan Christian, Jason Holder and Carlos Brathwaite all very appealing signings. They will also see a lot more of Mitchell Starc this season too although Steve Smith has pulled out of the competition. I always thought that Sydney had an advantage in that their home matches all came towards the end of the season as the ground was out of use because of the New Year Test match. They only have three games on that ground this season so that is a negative. I don’t like the Sixers as much here.
The Hobart Hurricanes are another team who made the postseason last term but couldn’t go on and land the title for the first time. That will be their challenge this year and they look to have recruited well with the likes of Colin Ingram, Dawid Malan and Sandeep Lamichhane while Peter Handscomb is a good replacement for George Bailey. My immediate concern for the Hurricanes is how long they take to gel and how quickly they can be at full strength because quarantine and things like that is going to be an issue. I would not be surprised to see them finish strongly though so I will wait and back them during the competition when hopefully they will have drifted bigger than 15/2.
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The Outsiders
The Melbourne Renegades were the champions two seasons ago but after having a horrendous campaign last year they are 8/1 also-rans now. That seems a little bit of an overreaction to me, especially when you consider that they will not be losing Aaron Finch this season. He has started the summer in incredible form too. One concern with the Renegades is they have reacted strongly to their abysmal campaign and the turnover in player has been very strong. On paper the additions look good with James Pattinson, Imran Tahir, Rilee Rossouw, Josh Lalor, Imad Wasim and Benny Howell all having incredible T20 records. They will need to gel very quickly though which is not guaranteed in this new world. If they click 8/1 is a stupid price but there is that doubt.
If you know when to catch the Brisbane Heat at the right time you are a better person than me! I find them one of the harder sides to predict but I fancy they might be better suited this season as a lot of their matches are away from The Gabba where playing on a ground that is impossible to defend does them no favours at all. After finishing second from bottom last season there has been a real clear out at the Heat as well. The big question has to be whether a side that had AB de Villiers and Tom Banton in it last season can really be any better without them in it this season. You’ve got to think if the Heat are to win this tournament Chris Lynn not only stays fit but fills his boots. Even then they just look light in too many departments.
Sydney Thunder either win the title or do nothing in this competition, although they did at least make the play-offs last term which is a positive. The first thing to note with the Thunder is they have not had a massive turnover of player and three of the ones they have brought in will add something to their party in Sam Billings, Ben Cutting and Adam Milne. Alex Hales remains one of the better T20 batsmen in the world and importantly for the Thunder the likes of Usman Khawaja, Chris Tremain and Daniel Sams will be around for the whole season. There is more power with the bat and ball for the Thunder this season and while they might be the outsiders of the lot, they are the team I can see going all the way.
Outright Betting
There are three teams that I want to keep onside this season. They are the Melbourne Renegades, Hobart Hurricanes and the Sydney Thunder and it is the latter which I am backing initially. I love that the Thunder have ticked a lot of boxes. Adam Milne is a brilliant addition to the bowling attack and there is so much power in their middle order now that chasing any score down is not going to be an issue for them. With the class of Usman Khawaja and Callum Ferguson batting around that brute force there is so much to like about the Thunder.
I really rate the Melbourne Renegades but they have had a serious turnover of player in recent times and even during the season they have overseas players coming and going which is never an idealism. Aaron Finch could propel them close to the title on his own but I expect both them and the Hobart Hurricanes, who are in a similar boat with newcomers quarantining and coming and going and things, to finish the season very well. I’ll be looking to have both onside by the end of the competition but for now the 9/1 on the Thunder winning the tournament will do me.
Finish Bottom
This could actually be a season where a couple of the more seasoned sides struggle. I’m thinking the Adelaide Strikers and maybe the Sydney Sixers there but the team I think will finish bottom are the Brisbane Heat. Things went woefully wrong for them last season and since then AB de Villiers, Tom Banton, Ben Cutting and James Pattinson have all left their ranks while Mitch Swepson and Joe Burns look like they are going to be carried around by Australia for a lot of the summer.
Although some of those players have been replaced, the likes of Dan Lawrence and Lewis Gregory will be playing this tournament for the first time and I’m not massively convinced that they will be suited to the test. To my eye Brisbane Heat look a lot weaker this term than they did last season and they were pretty terrible last season. Unless Chris Lynn goes bonkers or some of the spinners has a season to remember, and there is no guarantee Mujeeb Ur Rahman is going to be around for much of the season, then I see another season of struggle for Brisbane. The 9/2 on them finishing bottom looks a fair bet to me.
Tips
Back Sydney Thunder to win BBL 10 for a 3/10 stake at 10.00 with Coral
Back them here:
Back Brisbane Heat to finish bottom for a 2/10 stake at 5.50 with William Hill
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