The Big Bash League continues to go from strength to strength and BBL 12 gets underway on Tuesday morning when the eight franchises all prepare to go again in their aim to lift what is one of the bigger domestic T20 competitions doing the rounds these days.
That is what the Perth Scorchers did last season when they downed the Sydney Sixers in the final. Both sides are among eight who will fancy their chances of landing the title over the next couple of months.
Recent Winners
2021-22 – Perth Scorchers
2020-21 – Sydney Sixers
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
The Format
This is the first proper Big Bash since the Covid times. By that I mean each team play the other ones at home and away rather in quarantine led blocks. Each team plays the other twice in the regular season and then the top five at the end of that stage go through to the finals. The top two in the competition get two shots at making the final while fourth host fifth in a knockout match with the winner progressing to take on the third placed team. The winner of that plays the loser in the clash between the top two for the other place in the final. Unlike in recent seasons the X-Factor and Bash Boost are a thing of the past but the Power Surge does remain which means that batting teams get to choose two overs in the second half of their innings where only two men can be outside of the circle.
The Favourites
The Sydney Sixers were a match away from winning this title for a third consecutive time last season but despite that loss they are the 4/1 joint favourites to get their title back. They look to have a decent enough squad to do that with having not really lost anyone from their title winning campaigns. They will be boosted with the availability of Steve Smith in the second part of the season too with no white ball cricket scheduled for Australia so the Sixers look like they will put up another strong showing as they look for a third title in four years.
The other joint favourites are the Hobart Hurricanes, who despite having a strong squad on a few occasions are yet to get their hands on the title. The Hurricanes look very strong this time around though. They have two heroes of the Hampshire T20 Blast winning side in Ben McDermott and Nathan Ellis in their ranks while Matthew Wade and Tim David have had big years in franchise cricket and D’Arcy Short is always a run machine in this competition. In Joel Paris, Billy Stanlake and Riley Meredith the ‘Canes have plenty of bowling depth and good all-rounders as overseas players in the form of Jimmy Neesham, Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf. They look the team to beat to me.
The Contenders
The Perth Scorchers are the most successful team in the Big Bash League history and they are the defending champions this term. They will be able to play at home too which should further help their chances and they will be popular at 11/2 but they will be without Mitchell Marsh who has been ruled out of the tournament with injury which is a big blow to the Scorchers. Perth have recruited some good overseas talent themselves though with Adam Lyth, Steve Eskinazi and Tymal Mills all good short form players and with the likes of Jhye Richardson, Jason Behrendorff and Andrew Tye likely to be around all season, Perth shouldn’t be written without a chance.
Despite the huge amount of good players they have had throughout their history, the Melbourne Stars have still to get their hands on this trophy and they must be beginning to wonder if that will ever happen. They have suffered a blow heading into this season with Glenn Maxwell ruled out of the entirety of it which means that Adam Zampa will captain the 13/2 shots. He doesn’t have a huge amount of captaincy experience so that isn’t ideal. He does have class acts like Marcus Stoinis, Trent Boult, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Luke Wood at his disposal with the ball but there is no hiding the huge hole that Maxwell leaves with the bat. Better Stars teams than this one have failed to win the trophy and I don’t see why this team will change that.
The Sydney Thunder were the winners of BBL 5 but haven’t been able to get their hands on the big prize since then despite some really good squads. They have a decent squad to go to battle with this year, one which will have Dave Warner available for the second part of the season with no white ball cricket in the books. There is no Sam Billings from previous seasons but Rilee Rossouw is an adequate substitute and Alex Hales was on fire at the recent T20 World Cup. The Thunder might just be a little light with the ball if one or two don’t come off but there are worse 13/2 shots doing the rounds.
Special Offer
Sign up for a Boylesports account and bet £10 to get up to £20 in free bets! Perfect offer for this competition! Click the image below for this great offer! New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
The Outsiders
You have to go back to BBL 7 for the time when the Adelaide Strikers got their hands on this trophy and any team that has Rashid Khan in its ranks shouldn’t be ruled out at any time. In recent seasons, it has been a lack of batting depth which has caught the Strikers out so they will be delighted that Alex Carey will and Travis Head will be around for the second half of the campaign. Colin de Grandhomme and Adam Hose are good signings to keep their batting stocks high in the meantime while Chris Lynn can win matches on his own. I don’t think Adelaide will win the title but being around at the business end of the tournament is in their potential.
The Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Renegades are the 12/1 outsiders of the eight in this tournament. The Heat have lost Chris Lynn but have signed a couple of Big Bash stalwarts in Sam Billings and Colin Munro while Sam Hain could be a good signing. They’ll have Marnus Labuschagne back for the second half of the season and Usman Khawaja will join him. If we are picking holes in this side then there is a lack of depth in the spin department. You do wonder if they have to bed one or two too many players in but they might be better than 12/1 shots.
The Melbourne Renegades have been terrible for far too long now. Indeed, since they won the title three seasons ago they have barely won a match and their preparations for this campaign were hit after they drafted Liam Livingstone only to see England select him and then he subsequently get injured. Martin Guptill and Andre Russell are handy overseas replacements and Mujeeb is a great signing on slow pitches at the Docklands Arena but this Renegades team need to bat a lot better than they have been doing and as such Guptill, Aaron Finch, Nic Maddinson and Shaun Marsh are going to have to deliver a lot more than they have done. It is impossible for the Renegades to be any worse this season but it is hard to see them being that much better that they are genuine contenders.
Betting
I’ll go with a couple of teams over the course of this season. I am extremely keen on the Hobart Hurricanes this season. I think they tick every box going here. They have bags of power at the top of the innings, a brilliant finisher in Tim David, real heat with the ball and the best death bowler in the competition in Nathan Ellis. Throw in some useful all-rounders who are more than worth their weight and unless injuries strike it is hard to see the Hurricanes not having a big season. There is depth in this squad and they have lost nobody to the Test team. I think Hobart take a lot of the beating this season.
I’ll also have a small saver on the Adelaide Strikers who are going to finish the season very well indeed. They have Rashid Khan for most if not all of the season and that is important but the likes of Travis Head and Alex Carey will return to go into a batting unit which will have Chris Lynn, Jake Weatherald, Matt Short, Adam Hose and Colin de Grandhomme. The Strikers seamers always seem to go well and as long as Peter Siddle hasn’t aged in the last 12 months, and there is nothing to suggest that he has, the Strikers should make the top five and who knows what comes their way from there.
Tips
Back Hobart Hurricanes to win BBL 12 for a 4/10 stake at 5.00 with Betway
Back Adelaide Strikers to win BBL 12 for a 1/10 stake at 10.00 with Bet365
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2022
