BBL SuperCoach Team Preview - Brisbane Heat

PREDICTED LINE UP

1-Brendon McCullum

2-Max Bryant

3-Chris Lynn

4-Joe Burns

5-Ben Cutting

6-Jimmy Peirson

7-James Pattinson

8-Mitchell Swepson

9-Brendan Doggett

10-Mark Steketee

11-Mujeeb Ur Rahman

TOP PREMIUM PLAYER

CHRIS LYNN (BAT $202,000)

One of the biggest hitters in T20 cricket and is almost impossible not to pick in SuperCoach, especially with a round one double game week. When he scores runs he scores them very quickly, evidenced by his career T20 strike of 144. Given that SuperCoach awards points for a high strike rate and boundaries hit, Lynn could score huge. He scored 491 runs in this year’s IPL at an average of 32, and was the leading run scorer in the JLT One Day Cup with 452 runs at an average of 75. He will be a genuine captaincy choice for round 1.

TOP MID PRICED PLAYER

MUJEEB UR RAHMAN (BWL $93,800)

It was a toss up between the explosive Brendon McCullum and Ur Rahman, but I’ve chosen the young Afghani spinner to have a slightly bigger impact straight away. He has a very low bowling average of 15 in T20Is, with an economy of 5 which is just a glimpse of what he can do. At just 17 years old he is already dominating batsman in various tournaments and I expect him to have a very strong BBL. Most batsmen in the BBL wouldn’t have faced him before, so expect batsmen to approach Ur Rahman cautiously, meaning a low economy rate and also wicket taking opportunities, which should see him pick up many SuperCoach points. With the Heat having a double game week in round 1, I expect him to do well and is a POD captaincy option too.

TOP CHEAP PLAYER

MAX BRYANT (BAT $42,000)

There’s lots of debate as to whether Max Bryant will play or not, as he will have to beat out players like Sam Heazlett, Brendan Doggett and Alex Ross for that last spot in the side. But, given Bryant’s recent performances for the Queensland Bulls and Cricket Australia XI, I fully expect him to open the batting for the heat alongside McCullum. He is an aggressive style opener who recently broke the Queensland Bulls record for the fastest 50 during the JLT One Day Cup, where his 50 came from just 23 balls, ending his innings on 71 from 31 balls. His other recent scores include 62 from 65 in a tour match against India, and 36 of 22 against South Africa in a T20 tour match. This shows that he is a more than capable striker of the ball, even against some of the world’s best bowlers. He would fit nicely into the bash brothers at the Heat, and this could be his break out tournament. If he is named round 1, he could be the best value option this BBL and should be owned by everyone. James Pattinson is also another great cheap option at $62,500, if he stays fit that is.

POINT OF DIFFERNCE

MITCHELL SWEPSON (BWL 101,500)

An ever improving bowler, Swepson didn’t have the best of BBL tournaments last season in the wickets category, but still kept a respectable economy of 6.90. Shane Warne rates him very highly so that’s a testament to the talent he has. I expect him to bounce back this BBL. At $101,500, he is very affordable and could well surprise a few people.

PREDICTED FINISH – 5^th

I see them just missing out on a finals spot and they will be reliant once again on the likes of Lynn, McCullum and Burns to score the bulk of their runs. The addition of Ur Rahman will really strengthen their bowling lineup and if Pattinson can stay fit and recapture his top form, then that will go along way to helping the Heat win games. The potential loss of Lynn to the ODI side will require others to stand up more later in the season, and their success could well hinge on how well their young guns perform.

By Mathew Broom