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BBL11 has definitely had its fair share of challenges to date. This is likely to continue but the show must go on – whether that’s around the country or headquartered in Melbourne.
At the halfway mark, plenty of the cream has already risen to the top. For some other teams though, a revival is needed quickly if they hope to feature in the finals.
Here on The Roar, I’m taking a look at each club’s season to date, the challenges ahead and their run home towards a possible BBL finals berth.
Current Standing: Played 8, won 7, lost 1, 25 points, Net Run Rate +1.352
Last year’s runners-up have picked up where they left off, and will almost certainly be featuring in the finals again.
Mitchell Marsh has continued on from his amazing T20 World Cup, hitting 255 runs at a strike rate of 144. New Zealand import Colin Munro has also hit a century, whilst Kurtis Patterson has found career-best BBL form this season.
Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff and AJ Tye headline a strong bowling unit the envy of every other side in the competition.
Challenges
I would have had the Scorchers as the team to beat heading into the finals; however, playing all their games on the road and the permanent possibility of COVID cases within the Perth camp makes it a tough ask.
Losing Marsh and Josh Inglis to the Australian set-up also leaves some gaps that won’t be filled until towards the end of the regular season, when that pair are set to return.
Run Home: Melbourne Stars, Sydney Thunder, Sydney Sixers, Sydney Sixers, Adelaide Strikers, Brisbane Heat
Predicted Finish: 2nd
Current Standing: Played 8, won 6, lost 1, no result 1, 23 points, NRR +1.264
Gunning for their third title in a row, the Sixers are yet again well in the mix.
They are stacked with match-winners, headlined by Josh Philippe, Moises Henriques and Sean Abbott. They are also a team high on self-belief, with their wins against the Brisbane Heat and the Melbourne Stars coming despite looking down for the count at various stages.
The rain delay didn't faze Josh Philippe! #BBL11 pic.twitter.com/5sFbTrcCRf
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 26, 2021
All eyes will now be on Pakistan leg-spinner, Shadab Khan, who is with the Sixers for the rest of the tournament.
Challenges
Injuries have already played a part, with English import Tom Curran gone for the season and Jackson Bird and Ben Manenti not playing to date. Fellow Englishman Chris Jordan has also left the squad, while James Vince plays his final game for the season on January 13 before leaving the country at the behest of the England Cricket Board.
Run Home: Brisbane Heat, Perth Scorchers, Perth Scorchers, Melbourne Renegades, Sydney Thunder, Adelaide Strikers
Predicted Finish: 1st
Current Standing: Played 8, won 5, lost 3, 19 points, NRR +0.653
The Thunder are looming as a smoky for the tournament, with the recall of Jason Sangha proving a masterstroke from coach Trevor Bayliss.
The move has lengthened the batting order and allowed English international Sam Billings to come in and play an expansive game from the start of his innings.
The bowling attack has been well led by Saqib Mahmood, Tanveer Sangha and Daniel Sams, with Pakistan import Muhammad Hasnain starting his BBL stint with a remarkable triple-wicket maiden on debut against the Strikers.
Mohammad Hasnain is rapid!
His first BBL over is a TRIPLE WICKET MAIDEN ????#BBL11 pic.twitter.com/ZhNZ1V6mCW
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 2, 2022
Challenges
Billings and Mahmood depart for national duties on January 13, leaving big shoes to fill.
Fellow Englishman Alex Hales will need to deliver more in the second half of the competition, with Billings’ absence perhaps opening up a permanent spot for talented young gun Ollie Davies.
Run Home: Perth Scorchers, Melbourne Renegades, Hobart Hurricanes, Hobart Hurricanes, Sydney Sixers, Melbourne Renegades
Predicted Finish: 3rd
Current Standing: Played 8, won 4, lost 4, 17 points, NRR +0.274
The Hurricanes are the only team so far to derail the Sixers this campaign, and do have the team to make a push for the title this year.
Ben McDermott is in the form of his T20 career with recent back-to-back centuries, whilst captain Matthew Wade is due another big score.
Ben McDermott of the Hobart Hurricanes celebrates after scoring a century. (Photo by Mike Owen/Getty Images)
With the ball, Tom Rogers has been a revelation in this competition, and Riley Meredith is starting to hit his straps.
Challenges
It is not uncommon in this competition to rely on your big two in the batting order, but Hobart do it more than most. If Wade and McDermott are dismissed early, there is not a whole lot of match-winning batting to come.
D’Arcy Short has looked badly out of touch and needs to find his mojo quickly for the Hurricanes to make a run at the title. This was exposed in their home loss to the Heat, where he limped to a 38-ball 27 after both Wade and McDermott fell cheaply.
Run Home: Adelaide Strikers, Brisbane Heat, Sydney Thunder, Sydney Thunder, Melbourne Renegades, Melbourne Stars
Predicted Finish: 4th
Current Standing: Played 8, won 3, lost 5, 14 points, NRR -0.155
After a slow start to the season, the Heat have recorded wins over the Renegades, Strikers and, most impressively, the Hurricanes, to reignite their campaign.
English batter Ben Duckett, has looked the goods batting in the middle order, while Chris Lynn remains one of the tournament’s most devastating game-changers. Youngster Xavier Bartlett is also impressing with both bat and ball.
Challenges
It’s nothing new for Brisbane, but consistency remains their biggest challenge, especially across their batting line-up.
Five scores of 151 or lower from their first eight games has put plenty of pressure on their bowling attack, and not one Brisbane batter features in the top eight leading run-scorers for the season.
Run Home: Sydney Sixers, Melbourne Renegades, Hobart Hurricanes, Adelaide Strikers, Melbourne Stars, Perth Scorchers
Predicted Finish: 6th
Current Standing: Played 7, won 3, lost 4, 10 points, NRR -1.316
A Stars team featuring Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa and Englishman Joe Clarke should be further up the table than they are, but it just hasn’t clicked… yet.
The Stars are probably in a battle with the Heat for fifth spot, which means finals under the BBL’s system. With Stoinis overdue for a big score once the Stars’ COVID-19 outbreak is overcome, it wouldn’t surprise to see them charging home late.
Challenges
The Stars have been the worst hit to date by COVID, and will likely be significantly below full strength across their next few matches. Zampa, Stoinis, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Joe Burns headline the outs, which forced them to turn to Victorian premier cricket for replacement players in their recent loss to the Scorchers.
While Andre Russell has packed his bags after a five-game stint, Pakistan paceman Haris Rauf has arrived in his place. He has been key to the Stars’ bowling attack in recent years, and will be front and centre again in any finals campaign.
???????? RAUF'S HAT-TRICK COMPLETE‼ ????????
Have we ever had two hat-tricks in one day, what do we do⁉
???? Stream #BBL09 ad-break free on Kayo: https://t.co/CfILOrTeyB pic.twitter.com/6V2QLt2Fm4
— Fox Cricket (@FoxCricket) January 8, 2020
Run Home: Perth Scorchers, Melbourne Renegades, Adelaide Strikers, Adelaide Strikers, Melbourne Renegades, Brisbane Heat, Hobart Hurricanes
Predicted Finish: 5th
Current Standing: Played 8, won 1, lost 7, 9 points, NRR -0.709
The Strikers, with just the one win so far, are almost at the last chance saloon already, only halfway through the season.
The loss of Alex Carey and Travis Head to the Australian Test team has robbed the Strikers of two players who have scored big in past BBL series. The current line-up seem to be well in the contest after 10 overs, regularly claiming the Bash Boost point, only to fall short when the match is on the line.
Challenges
English bowling all-rounder George Garton is another import heading off early ahead of a T20I series against the West Indies.
Other than converting starts into big scores, the Strikers need to find someone in their bowling stocks to assist the wizardly Rashid Khan.
Run Home: Hobart Hurricanes, Melbourne Stars, Melbourne Stars, Brisbane Heat, Perth Scorchers, Sydney Sixers
Predicted Finish: 7th
Current Standing: Played 7, won 1, lost 5, 1 NR, 7 points, NRR -1.758
Like the Strikers, the Renegades need to turn around their season now to have any chance of playing finals.
The Melbourne team have followed a youth-first policy in recent years. They have brought through some encouraging talent, including Mackenzie Harvey and Jake Fraser-McGurk.
Jake Fraser-McGurk plucks an INSANE grab!! #BBL11 pic.twitter.com/YT18EE0BBR
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 7, 2021
Still, the Renegades are firming for their third straight wooden spoon.
Challenges
The loss of captain Nic Maddinson to the Australian squad doesn’t help the Renegades’ plight, with no confirmation as yet as to how long he will be away for.
With their younger players still failing at times, more is needed from Aaron Finch. After missing the start of the season through injury, the weight is squarely on the Australian limited-overs captain’s shoulders now to make some big scores.
Run Home: Melbourne Stars, Brisbane Heat, Sydney Thunder, Sydney Sixers, Melbourne Stars, Hobart Hurricanes, Sydney Thunder
Predicted Finish: 8th
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