The fourteenth instalment of the Big Bash League kicks off this weekend, in a season that promises plenty with a host of international stars joining the competition. So, before the action begins, check out Jack Tobin’s season preview and best futures tips below!
As usual, we will be bringing you a full preview and betting tips for EVERY game throughout the BBL14 season, so remember to check out our Cricket Tips page regularly for updates.
BBL14 Season Preview & Betting Tips
Adelaide Strikers
Squad: Fabian Allen, James Bazley, Cameron Boyce, Jordan Buckingham, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Travis Head, Thomas Kelly, Chris Lynn, Harry Nielsen, Jamie Overton (England), Lloyd Pope, Ollie Pope (England), Alex Ross, D'Arcy Short, Matt Short, Henry Thornton, Jake Weatherald
The Strikers made some big signings during the off-season securing Englishmen Ollie Pope and West Indian Fabian Allen which will add some serious firepower to an already strong batting lineup. Chris Lynn will be available for the entire season which is crucial, while South Australia’s favourite son Travis Head could be available for the final three games of the regular season. Spin duo Cameron Boyce and Lloyd Pope were rewarded with contract extensions after sparking the Strikers remarkable run to the finals last season. The batting looks excellent, so If paceman Brendan Doggett, Jamie Overton and Henry Thorton can produce with the ball, the Strikers will be a contender.
Brisbane Heat
Squad: Tom Alsop, Xavier Bartlett, Max Bryant, Spencer Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan McSweeney, Colin Munro, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Will Prestwidge, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson, Callum Vidler, Paul Walter, Jack Wildermuth, Jack Wood
The defending champions retained the majority of their core from last season with imports Colin Munro and Paul Walter joining a strong list of domestic players that made up the Heat’s title winning side last season. Sam Billings (Thunder) and Josh Brown (Renegades) are the only departures, while championship winning captain Nathan McSweeney will be unavailable for the majority of the season with Test duties. The Heat’s biggest issue is that star all-rounder Michael Neser will likely miss a large portion of the season with a hamstring injury. With their bowling stocks in Spencer Johnson, Xavier Bartlett and Matthew Kuhnemann, the Heat should be around the mark once again.
Hobart Hurricanes
Squad: Iain Carlisle, Nikhil Chaudhary, Tim David, Paddy Dooley, Jake Doran, Nathan Ellis, Peter Hatzoglou, Shai Hope, Rishad Hossain, Caleb Jewell, Chris Jordan, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Billy Stanlake, Matthew Wade, Charlie Wakim, Mac Wright
The Hurricanes will be out to make their first finals appearance since BBL11, and win their first title in franchise history. Hobart made a huge signing in the draft with West Indian superstar Shai Hope, whilst keeping hold of Englishmen Chris Jordan for another season in purple. As it has been for many seasons, the Hurricanes top end talent is excellent with the likes of Tim David, Matthew Wade, Riley Meredith, and Ben McDermott, however their depth is a concern if they don’t get match winning contributions from their stars.
Melbourne Renegades
Squad: Jacob Bethell, Josh Brown, Xavier Crone, Harry Dixon, Laurie Evans, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Nathan Lyon, Fergus O'Neill, Kane Richardson, Tom Rogers, Gurinder Sandhu, Tim Seifert, Will Sutherland, Jon Wells, Adam Zampa, Hassan Khan (Replacement international player)
The Renegades have had a busy off-season after failing to make the finals in BBL13. The Gades picked up English stars Jacob Bethell and Laurie Evans as well as Brisbane Heat championship winner Josh Brown to add some much-needed firepower to their batting unit. Kiwi Tim Seifert will take the gloves, while the Renegades will be backing in young guns Jake Fraser-McGurk, Will Sutherland and Fergus O’Neill to take another step. The bowling looks strong with the experienced Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson and Tom Rogers, so if the Renegades batting unit perform strongly, they should play finals.
Melbourne Stars
Squad: Scott Boland, Hilton Cartwright, Brody Couch, Tom Curran, Ben Duckett, Sam Harper, Campbell Kellaway, Glenn Maxwell, Hamish McKenzie, Jon Merlo, Usama Mir, Joel Paris, Tom Rogers, Peter Siddle, Mark Steketee, Marcus Stoinis, Doug Warren, Beau Webster, Joe Clarke (Replacement international player), Adam Milne (Replacement international player)
After losing the BBL09 Final against the Sydney Sixers, the Melbourne Stars have missed the finals for four straight seasons, and will be desperate to bring some long overdue success for the franchise. The Stars signed Englishman Tom Curran who has taken the third most wickets in the BBL of any overseas player, whilst also picking up Ben Duckett who has been in red hot form in both red and white ball cricket this year. Marcus Stoinis takes over as skipper from Glenn Maxwell, for a side that in Stoinis, Maxwell and Webster have plenty of power in their batting lineup. Once again though for the Stars, the concerns look around their next tier of players as well as their bowlers. If their big guns don’t fire, they will struggle.
Perth Scorchers
Squad: Ashton Agar, Finn Allen, Mahli Beardman, Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Sam Fanning, Aaron Hardie, Nick Hobson, Matthew Hurst, Josh Inglis, Keaton Jennings, Matt Kelly, Mitch Marsh, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Matthew Spoors, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye
The most successful franchise in BBL history missed the Final in BBL13 for the first time in three seasons after winning the prior two titles and finishing as runners up in BBL10. The Scorchers have the best domestic group of players in the competition which has been proved by WA’s golden generation over the past three Sheffield Shield and three One Day titles. The Scorchers have added to their squad by signing Kiwi gun Finn Allen, who will be set to light it up at Optus Stadium over the coming seasons. This is by far the easiest side to trust, and they will be looking to redeem themselves after last season’s failure.
Sydney Sixers
Squad: Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Jafer Chohan, Joel Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Moises Henriques, Akeal Hosein, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Ben Manenti, Todd Murphy, Kurtis Patterson, Mitch Perry, Josh Philippe, Jordan Silk, Steve Smith, James Vince
The Sixers lost what on paper looked like an unloseable final, and they will be looking for their first title since BBL10 after finishing as runners up twice and third place across the last three seasons. The Sixers have kept the core of their side together, with only Steve O’Keefe (retired) and Tom Curran (Stars) departing. Sydney have added some serious spin weapons in the draft with Akeal Hosein and Jafer Chohan, which will give the Sixers a major point of difference on a typically slow SCG surface. The Sixers will once again be right amongst the top end of the table, as a genuine title contender.
Sydney Thunder
Squad: Wes Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Sam Billings, Ollie Davies, Lockie Ferguson, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Ryan Hadley, Liam Hatcher, Sam Konstas, Nic Maddinson, Nathan McAndrew, Sherfane Rutherford, William Salzmann, Daniel Sams, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, David Warner
David Warner’s first season with full availability is the main draw card for the Thunder, who will be looking for their first title since BBL05. The Thunder made a huge splash in the off-season, acquiring Sam Billings from the Heat after previously playing for the Thunder in BBL11. The Thunder have added plenty of pace with Kiwi Lockie Ferguson and former Striker Wes Agar, to complement the variety of Daniel Sams and Nathan McAndrew. Although the top end star power of Warner and Billings looks great, the Thunder lack the domestic quality that other franchises possess, which makes it difficult to see them as contenders.
Title Winners
They’ve won two of the past three titles, and come into this season with the best list in the competition. The Scorchers season last year was derailed by injuries to Ashton Turner and Jhye Richardson, and they could potentially be without Turner, Ashton Agar and Cooper Connolly to start the season. However, such is the depth in Western Australian cricket at the moment, the Scorchers as they have shown in the past will be more than capable of covering these absences. The Scorchers have the best home ground advantage in the competition having won 17 of their last 20 games at Perth Stadium.
Perth Scorchers Big Bash Winner
$4.50
