KFC Supercoach BBL Fantasy: Best fantasy team for Round 3
The third round of fixtures in the Big Bash League 2022-23 (BBL) will begin with a clash between the Melbourne Renegades and Brisbane Heat on Wednesday, December 21. It'll also be the third round of Supercoach BBL Fantasy, the official Fantasy game of the BBL.
I had a solid Round 2, thanks to returns from my Perth Scorchers and Sydney Thunder players, with both teams playing twice in BBL Round 2. Captain Andrew Tye and Vice-captain Josh Inglis delivered the points, along with Jason Behrendorff, Daniel Sams, and Alex Hales.
In Round 3, the Brisbane Heat will play thrice, while the Sydney Thunder will go blank. Any trades you wish to make ahead of the first match of BBL Round 3 should be completed before the deadline on Wednesday afternoon IST.
Deadline for Trade ahead of MLR-BNE: 1:45 pm (IST), 7:15 pm (local), and 8:15 am (GMT)
Note: The suggested team is subject to change depending on the toss or other unexpected team news. Any such changes will be updated for the next round.
Fixtures
Team Suggested in Round 2
Wicketkeepers: Josh Inglis (PER) (WK) ($107,100), Sam Harper (MLR) ($95,700)
Batters: Matthew Short (ADL) ($230,600), Daniel Sams (SYDT) ($181,500), Alex Hales (SYDT) ($109,800), Rilee Rossouw (SYDT) ($85,300), Darcy Short (HOB) ($133,300), James Vince (SYD6) ($86,300), Jake Weatherald (ADL) ($61,400)
Bowlers: Rashid Khan (ADL) ($177,200), Fazalhaq Farooqi (SYDT) ($143,500), Andrew Tye (PER) (BOWL) ($163,500), Joel Paris (HOB) ($80,500), Mitchell Swepson (BHE) ($107,000), Jason Behrendorff (PER) (BOWL) ($129,100), Ruwantha Kellapotha ($42,000).
Round 2 Points: 1099
Total Points: 2021
Overall Rank: 7062.
Available Cash: $49,800
Team Value: $ 1,933,800.
Trades
1) Daniel Sams (SYDT) (BAT) ($181,500) - OUT| Colin Munro (BNE) (BAT) ($149,600) - IN
2) Rilee Rossouw (SYDT) (BAT) ($85,300) - OUT| James Bazley (BNE) (BAT) ($156,100) - IN
3) Fazalhaq Farooqi (SYDT) (BOWL) ($143,500) - OUT| Michael Neser (BNE) (BOWL) ($107,900) - IN
KFC Supercoach BBL Fantasy Team for Round 3
Wicketkeepers: Josh Inglis (PER) (WK) ($107,100), Sam Harper (MLR) ($95,700)
Batters: Matthew Short (ADL) ($230,600), Colin Munro (BNE) (BAT) ($149,600), James Bazley (BNE) (BAT) ($156,100), Darcy Short (HOB) ($133,300), James Vince (SYD6) ($86,300), Alex Hales (SYDT) ($109,800), Jake Weatherald (ADL) ($61,400)
Bowlers: Rashid Khan (ADL) ($177,200), Michael Neser (BNE) (BOWL) ($107,900), Andrew Tye (PER) (BOWL) ($163,500), Joel Paris (HOB) ($80,500), Mitchell Swepson (BHE) ($107,000), Jason Behrendorff (PER) (BOWL) ($129,100), Ruwantha Kellapotha ($42,000).
With the Brisbane Heat playing twice in this BBL round, it makes sense to load up on players from their team, but to do so, removing Sydney Thunder players is necessary. It is sad to see players like Fazalhaq Farooqi go after having built up plenty of value in them.
It will be hard to predict Brisbane's lineup ahead of their games, especially their top order given the number of options they possess. For now, I'm going for the belligerent Colin Munro, whose positive intent is sure to get him boundary and strike-rate points if not a big score. I'm picking all-rounder James Bazley as a batter, but most of his point-scoring is likely to be done with the ball.
My final trade in is seamer Michael Neser. Neser wasn't part of the team in the first game, but his inclusion in the side should have a positive impact. Mitchell Swepson is my fourth player from Brisbane. The leg-spinner has a good chance of racking up points in this round.
In-form Matthew Short, Josh Inglis, the Perth Scorchers seamers, and Rashid Khan are some of the other important picks from this match. While D'arcy Short isn't quite the BBL force he used to be, he could pick up some handy points against the Sydney Sixers. James Vince hasn't really impressed so far, but I'll still be backing him for this game.
Jake Weatherald, Sam Harper, and Joel Paris will be the emergency players this week. Budget enabler Ruwantha Kellapotha remains an unused bench option, with Alex Hales also joining him with a bye this week.
Captaincy Picks
Any of the four Brisbane Heat players could be solid captaincy picks this week, and for some reason, I'm drawn more to the bowlers than the batters. Bazley is my top pick, with Neser and Munro up in close second. While Swepson has been ever-present for Brisbane, I feel his role is more to contain the run flow than to pick up wickets.
Australian cricket isn't my forte, and I'm still learning. Feel free to engage in the comments section with any inputs, observations, and cricketing knowledge you possess.