BBL 2020-21: Preview and Squad Analysis of all Eight teams
The tenth season of the KFC BBL will commence from December 10 with the defending champions, Sydney Sixers going head to head against Hobart Hurricanes. Sydney Sixers won their second title last season after they defeated Melbourne Stars in the final.
In this article, we will have a look at the squads of all eight teams involved in the BBL 2020-21, that is second to only the Indian Premier League.
Melbourne Renegades
The Renegades are led by the Australian captain, Aaron Finch who is accompanied by the likes of Shaun Marsh, Rilee Rossouw, Imran Tahir to name a few players. Shaun Marsh amassed 449 runs last season at an average of almost 38. The Renegades possess a lot of quality and experience in their lineup with the likes of Mohammad Nabi and Imran Tahir in their squad.
Rilee Roussouw has been up with the best when it comes to scoring runs in domestic T20 competitions. One area where Renegades might face problems is their fast bowling department. The fast bowling department will be led by James Pattinson and Kane Richardson, and players like Josh Lalor will have to chip in with good performances.
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Hobart Hurricanes
Hobart Hurricanes have an enviable top order consisting of Matthew Wade and D Arcy Short to open the innings. They have the services of Dawid Malan who is currently the number one ranked T20 batsman in the world. Among other notable batsman are Peter Handscomb, Tim Paine and Colin Ingram. Matthew Wade, captain of the Hurricanes has been a sound opener for the team.
Sandeep Lamichhane will miss the opening part of the Big Bash League after testing positive for Covid-19. Their fast bowling department is bit of a worry. James Faulkner will be joined by Riley Meredith and Scott Boland. Boland had an impressive 2019-20 BBL season as he picked up 15 wickets.
Perth Scorchers
The Scorchers have a lot of batting firepower up their armory. Jason Roy, Liam Livingstone, Colin Munro, Cameron Bancroft, Josh Inglis and the captain himself, Mitchell Marsh. It will be interesting to see the playing 11, Marsh decides to go in with given that only three overseas players are eligible to play in the starting 11.
Josh Inglis had a terrific season last year scoring 405 runs in his 14 outings and Liam Livingstone scoring 425 runs. Their fast bowling lineup will be led by Jason Behrendoff and Jhye Richardson, who picked up 15 wickets last year. Fawad Ahmed will lead the spin bowling department and he too enjoyed a good season last year, picking up 15 wickets.
Adelaide Strikers
The strikers will be led by Travis Head who has the likes of Rashid Khan, Alex Carey in his squad. Jonathan Wells, a part of the Strikers squad scored 478 runs last season at an astonishing average of 68.29. Alex Carey also played a few good hands coming in from the middle order. He made a total of 391 runs in just 11 outings last season.
The bowling department for the Strikers performed well last season with Peter Siddle and Rashid Khan picking 19 wickets each whereas Wes Agar picking up 17 wickets. The Strikers certainly have a good side who are capable of going all the way and winning the title.
Sydney Thunder
Sydney Thunder will be led by Callum Ferguson, who scored 376 runs last season in his 17 outings. Alex Hales was the second highest scorer of the tournament last year, registering 576 runs with a strike rate of just under 150. They have the likes of Alex Ross and Usman Khawaja which strengthens their batting.
The fast bowling department will be led by Daniel Sams who was the top wicket taker in the last edition of BBL. He picked up 30 wickets in his 17 outings. He will be accompanied by Chris Tremain and Adam Milne. The Thunders also possess the likes of Sam Billings who can play handy knocks from the middle order.
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Melbourne Stars
Melbourne Stars were the runner-ups of the last edition of the Big Bash League, losing to Sydney Sixers in the final. They will be led by Glenn Maxwell who seems to have rediscovered his form after a disastrous IPL season. Marcus Stoinis who was the top run scorer last season is expected to continue opening for the Stars. Stoinis scored 705 runs last season at a strike rate of 136.
The Stars have strengthened their middle order by adding Nicholas Pooran, the hard-hitting southpaw to their squad. Will Pucovski, the talented Australian batsman will play a crucial rule for his side. The bowling department will be led by Adam Zampa and Nathan Coulter Nile. Zampa has enjoyed good success in the T20 format in the past year. The leg spinner took 20 wickets for the Stars last season.
Brisbane Heat
Chris Lynn who scored 387 runs last season will lead Brisbane Heat. Tom Banton withdrew from the squad due to the strict quarantine rules in place. The squad consists of Marnus Labuschagne, Joe Burns, Ben Laughlin, Morne Morkel. Mujeeb ur Rahman has tested positive for coronavirus while in isolation in Australia and will not play a part in the initial few matches for the Heat.
Ben Laughlin, highest wicket taker of the BBL, with 110 scalps will lead the bowling department alongside Morne Morkel. Mitchell Swepson who earned his debut against India will play a vital role in the absence of Mujeeb.
Sydney Sixers- Defending champions of KFC BBL
Sydney Sixers, the defending champions, suffered a major blow as Tom Curran withdrew from the squad owing to the strict quarantine rules, following his English team mate, Banton’s lead. They will be led by Moises Henriques, the Australian all rounder. The Sixers have good depth in their all rounders department with the likes of Jason Holder, Daniel Christian and Carlos Brathwaite in their squad.
Josh Phillippe who scored 487 runs last season will play a crucial role for his team. The fast bowling department will be led by Mitchell Starc, who will join the squad after the test series against India. Nathon Lyon will also join the Sixers after the four match test series against India. Steve O Keefe and Lloyd Pope will take care of the spin department, until Lyon’s arrival. James Vince and Daniel Hughes will also play a crucial role for the team from the top order.