BBL Fantasy: Players to Avoid

By Nic Negrepontis

This article is going to contain a list of players that you should not start with in your teams for BBL05. This will be based on a number of factors including price, form, injury and batting position amongst other things. Of course, some of these players may go on to dominate, such is life, but if you play it safe and avoid these players to start with, you’ll probably find your team in better shape.

John Hastings ($99,300)

Hastings was actually one of the better performers of BBL04 and comes into this season with decent form, but the glaringly obvious issue is his price tag. At just under $100,000, Hastings is far too expensive to consider for round one, especially with prices changing immediately. Hastings’ advantage in BBL04 was that he was one of the few bowlers who could bat who wasn’t listed as an all-rounder. This year, with lots of players, including Hastings, being granted DPP status, there are better and cheaper options.

Brendon McCullum ($92,200)

Brendon McCullum is now officially UNAVAILABLE for BBL05 according to the Brisbane Heat. Do NOT select him in your team because he will not be a part of this season. West Indian Lendl Simmons has been signed as McCullum’s replacement.

Ben Hilfenhaus ($79,900)

This one is pretty simple, Hilfenhaus has been signed by the Melbourne Stars who will probably play John Hastings, Scott Boland and one of their spinners ahead of Hilfenhaus with James Faulkner and Glenn Maxwell doing the remainder of the bowling work. Hilfenhaus may be in and out of their side and at that price, you don’t want that.

Michael Lumb ($67,000)

Lumb has been a part of the Sydney Sixers line up in every BBL tournament and has opened the batting for them almost every time. The problem with Lumb is that he is too inconsistent and prone to throwing his wicket away. Yes, he makes a few big scores, but he too often hauls out and simply put, there are better options out there for you to consider.

Shaun Tait ($66,800)

Tait is too injury prone, too inconsistent and regularly goes for a lot of runs which means you won’t be getting many economy rate bonuses from him. Despite being a household name, it’s best to look elsewhere unless he shows a lot of form.

Matthew Wade ($56,100)

Everything about Wade makes him so tempting to pick. His price along with his standing as an international class player make him a great pick up except for the fact that the Renegades have such a deep batting line up, Wade could be forced to bat at five or six depending on how things work out. With Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, Callum Ferguson, Dwayne Bravo, Cameron White and Peter Nevill at their disposal, you can’t make an accurate prediction as to where Wade will bat and so it may be best to wait and see where he bats early on in the season before bringing him into your side. You don’t want anyone in your side who bats below five.

Kieron Pollard ($30,000)

Injured and out for the season, Pollard should not be in your team… assuming you want to score points.

Other:

Other players to be wary of is anyone in the test squad and that includes the recently added Nathan Coulter-Nile and Scott Boland. While test match players will be made available for the first few games of BBL05, expect the selectors to want players rested so it’s always risky picking them. On top of that, you’ll have to trade them out once the test matches restart.

The other group of players to be cautious with are Perth Scorchers players as they have the bye in round one. If you’re selecting them, make sure you have adequate cover, remembering that the Melbourne Stars and the Sydney Thunder have the bye in round two.

If you have any further questions or wish to rage about your favourite player being on this list, you can find me on Twitter @NicNegrepontis.

Good luck!