Adelaide Strikers: BBL 10 fantasy team preview
A profound look into the signings, team news and player’s availability of the 2017 BBL Champions Adelaide Strikers for the 2020 Big Bash League (BBL 10) along with a fantasy cheat sheet involving the fantasy potential of the players.
Coach: J Gillespie
Captain: T Head/A Carey (Stand-in)
BBL 09 Finish: 3rd Position
Adelaide Strikers (BBL 10) – Off-Season Signings/Trades
Adelaide Strikers haven’t tinkered much with their squad from last year but have acquired some valuable additions in the form of M Renshaw, who has improved his T20 batting skills in the last couple of years and provides additional value with his off-spin which should more or less cover for Head’s absence during the test series.
Other notable inclusions are the acquisition of the Sussex left-arm spinner D Briggs who is likely to partner Rashid Khan and the local boy D Worrall who was traded in for B Stanlake from the Stars.
Strikers possess the least overseas options amongst all teams this year with P Salt, D Briggs and R Khan being the sole three. While not having any sort of backups for their overseas option should come back to haunt them it perfectly aligns with Gillespie’s approach of backing his primary options to the hilt.
Adelaide Strikers (BBL 10) – Talking Points
Reliable Batting Unit sans a Power-hitting Finisher
Strikers were the most dominant batting unit during the 1-16 over phase last year thanks to their potent top-order involving the opening pair of the attacking P Salt and the reliable J Weatherald followed by the two southpaws T Head and A Carey at 3 and 4 respectively with J Wells providing the finishing touches. But what they lacked was a solid finisher of a power-hitting mould which was evident from their death-over numbers which was one of the worst in the competition. While they’ve signed Renshaw to cover for Head’s absence they still lack someone like a Cutting to dominate the death overs.
The Rashid Khan Factor
Bowling isn’t a strong suit for the Strikers with lack of quality options apart from Rashid Khan. P Siddle and D Worrall are likely to share the new ball with the former also covering the death. W Agar who had a breakthrough season last year seems to be out of form with poor returns in both Shield games and practice games. D Briggs, a T20 Blast veteran who was signed as the 3rd overseas pick is likely to assist R Khan through the middle-overs with Renshaw and Short providing the off-spin option. Even though this attack is manageable at the BBL level, the potential absence of R Khan during the latter stages will certainly hurt their playoff chances.
Adelaide Strikers – Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Adelaide Strikers (BBL 10) – Cash Cows
A Carey – He might’ve fallen out of favour from the Aussies T20 set-up but he’s still one of the consistent run-scorers in BBL with 300-plus returns since 2017 despite dropping down from the opening spot to a middle-order role. Combine this with his wicket-keeping points and he’s quite a package.
M Renshaw – His batting curve in T20s has been on the rise in the last couple of seasons and he’s most likely to occupy the No.4 position for the Strikers. This could more or less be a breakthrough season for Renshaw and his ability to bowl off-spin adds to his fantasy value.
Rashid Khan – The globetrotting superstar would’ve topped the list if not for Afghanistan’s ODI assignment vs Ireland which might see him miss the latter of the tournament. Apart from his world-class bowling skills he provides value with the bat in BBL where his unorthodox hitting style is used more than in the IPL. For context, he faced 86 balls in BBL 09 compared to the 36 in IPL 2020 for SRH.
Ask and you shall receive
https://t.co/BZbMCGHvHM pic.twitter.com/6pzsmhV6Wk
— Adelaide Strikers (@StrikersBBL) October 22, 2020
ALSO READ: The BBL rule debate
Adelaide Strikers (BBL 10) – Value for Money Picks
P Siddle – He has aged like a fine wine and his T20 bowling skills despite not being of international quality still works well for him at the BBL level. Since 2017, he has grabbed a total of 36 wickets from 31 games for the Strikers being the second-best bowler for them after Rashid Khan.
J Weatherald – A self-confessed lover of batting technicalities, Weatherald has managed to cross the 300 run mark in all three seasons since 2017. He should be back fresh after taking a break earlier due to mental health issues.
J Wells – He’s been performing splendidly with the bat in the finishing role the last couple of years despite his limited batting skills. The MVP Player of the Strikers last season seems to be in good touch too after he scored a 30 ball 51 against the Sixers in a warm-up game.
D Briggs – He’s been part of the T20 Blast for so long and remains the highest wicket-taker of that competition. He should ideally play all the games for Strikers as the 3rd overseas pick and can be banked upon for steady returns in terms of wickets.
Adelaide Strikers (BBL 10) – Risky Picks
P Salt – He’s attacking, aggressive, exciting to watch and is certainly one to look out for the future but he’s pretty volatile from a fantasy perspective. He hasn’t crossed the 10-over mark even once last season and has visible issues against spin.
We know you’ve all been waiting for it, so here it is! The best of @PhilSalt1 from BBL|09
And we reckon the sequel is going to be even better than the original
#BlueEnergy #BBL10 pic.twitter.com/TuVb6IIBeC
— Adelaide Strikers (@StrikersBBL) November 11, 2020
W Agar – The younger one of the Agar brothers bowled with some good pace last season playing the role of an enforcer and was successful bagging 17 wickets from 11 games. What made him slot in the risky category is his expensive Shield figures with a certain lack in the wickets column. Even in the warm-up game against Sixers, he registered figures of 1/52 from 4 overs albeit in a high-scoring game.
M Short – Short usually covers the No.3 spot in the absence of Head but is more likely to be slotted down the order due to the signing of M Renshaw who will also be the most preferred off-spinner out of the two.
Adelaide Strikers (BBL 10) – Bargain Buys
D Worrall – His main USP is his swing and he’s usually effective with the new ball. He’ll be a starter due to the absence of Neser but can’t expect much returns from a one-dimensional bowler.
T Head – Head is a first-choice member of the test squad and so he’ll be available only for the last 3 league games and the playoffs if at all the Strikers qualify.
M Neser – He’s also a part of the Australian test squad but is the last one in the pecking order of the seamers. Usually, CA releases the players who are not part of the eleven for the BBL fixtures but it remains unsure whether the protocol will still be followed during the COVID times.
Adelaide Strikers (BBL 10) – Cheap buys
The likes of Liam O’Connor, Conway and Nielsen will surely get their chances at some part of the tournament and are easier to acquire due to their credentials.