THE BIGGEST BASH – LIVE FINAL FORM GUIDE
A massive Melbourne Derby at Marvel Stadium for the BBL Final but arguably the bigger event will be going on down the road at Crown where 85 DFS players will be competing for $150,000 in cold hard cash.
To mark this auspicious daily fantasy sporting occasion, we thought we would dive a little deeper and cover each and every player in both XIII-man squads. No selection committee today – just player form.
As always, check final teams after the toss to make sure you know exactly who is playing. Enjoy and good luck to all competitors in the Live Final!
BBL $10,000 RENEGADES V STARS
Player Form
Renegades
Marcus Harris ($9,500) Season Average: 16.10pts 3-Game Average: 15.30pts
I accidently blinked and missed Harris’ innings on Friday. When a 10pt catch pads your score by over 200% you know you’ve left abit out there. His 16pt average from 6 games is absolutely woeful but there is just something about this situation that reminds me of Weatherald last year. Harris averaged 23 runs in 37 T20 games so this poor season is not that much better than the rest of his short-form career but the price is so low he has to remain in the conversation. At that price point if he can return 30pts he probably gets value, especially if similar cheapies like Maddinson and gotch don’t get to that score. If the Renegades bat second Harris will be a semi-popular cheapy but I actually don’t mind Harris as a POD play if the Gades bat first. Worth considering.
Aaron Finch ($16,200) Season Average: 40.00pts 3-Game Average: 37.00pts
I’m sure Finchy won’t be reminded of his last dismissal when he takes guard this afternoon. What in the name of Shane Keith was that?! He was panned in the com box and on social media, and probably rightly so, but he actually wasn’t far off nailing it, SOK just held it up a little more but it was out of character and that is the point. We are not paying for the Finch of old, this Finch today struggles to run-a-ball 40’s then gets out in frustration, we have not yet seen him turn 40 into 85 by going up the gears. Will be shocked if he takes on Maxy first over which means he will be under Worrall pressure after that. If you take Worrall, fade Finchy and vice versa. Has to be respected.
Sam Harper ($11,900) Season Average: 34.60ptts 3-Game Average: 40.00pts
This kid has no fear and I absolutely love how he bats. He has me second-guessing any Stars opening and first change bowlers because he can take away economy bonuses like few batsmen. Love his strike rate and just his general positivity, be very interesting to see if his fear remains in the kit bag for this final. Four Renegades seamers means caught behinds are in play for a bit of floor. Take beating.
Cameron White ($10,400) Season Average: 25.60pts 3-Game Average: 35.50pts
The big bear looked a million dollars until he chopped one on Friday, smashing 29 from 17 balls. Loves hitting against the legspin over cow corner so if you are looking at White it may be a good idea to avoid Zampa and Lamichane because he is one player who can take them apart and batting #4 he is a good chance to get high exposure to those spin overs. Respect class.
Mackenzie Harvey ($10,200) Season Average: 20.10pts 3-Game Average: 22.20pts
Harvey is another one of those middle-lower order cheapies who could win you a contest if he fires. I’m yet to see hm play a building innings in the middle order though which is really what you are picking him for because if there are only 5-6 overs to go he may slide down the batting pole. If you take Harvey make sure you get some positive correlation with Stars opening bowlers. Fields in the hot zones so you can usually bank on a catch or two but 30-40pts seems the best you could hope for from Harvey here. Prefer others.
Tom Cooper ($10,500) Season Average: 26.40pts 3-Game Average: 36.50pts
Just something about ol’ smelly pooper that makes me never pick him. Now that Nabi is gone you can lock Cooper in for an over or two up front with the ball but with the bat he just has never looked in control. A couple of lucky innings have padded his season average but for mine as soon as he takes guard he looks like getting out. Another one of those middle-lower order raffle selections but Cooper does have that bowling exposure which could be a real point of difference thats gets him a look at a 60+.For those stacking as much batting as possible his dual position does allow that. Won’t find this easy.
Dan Christian ($17,500) Season Average: 55.90pts 3-Game Average: 59.50pts
Absolute gun. Fields in the dangerous areas, gets his 3-4 overs with the ball and whilst he bats #7 he will be elevated up the order if quick runs are required. It will be a squeeze for coaches to get him, Maxy and Stoinis in but it is doable and is likely to be a popular strategy which will make DC’s ownership 50%+. Take beating.
Cameron Boyce ($16,900) Season Average: 59.20pts 3-Game Average: 81.20pts
If you are expecting more than 10-15 runs from Boyce you are really in Hail Mary territory, best to focus on his bowling and be happy with whatever he hits off the bat. Boyce has taken just 7 wickets at Marvel from 31 overs. Only twice has he really dominated and notched that coveted 48pt economy bonus and those times where when the seamers made very early inroads. Im not sure its that pitch anymore so Boyce is likely to be bowling to at least one set batsman for most of his spell. I love him as a player but he is overpriced here and it is a lot to spend on someone who is probably a coin flip from returning a globe. Capable type
Kane Richardson ($19,400) Season Average: 66.70pts 3-Game Average: 00.00pts
Richo has owned Marvel this season but again, the pitch has changed. He got smacked for 40 runs and no wickets here Friday night. Would have globed had he not smacked 8 off 2 balls to finish the innings. It’s a far cry from the 2/17 off 4 effort against the Stars just a few weeks ago. Taking Richo is pushing plenty of chips into a Stars top order collapse which really dictates majority of your lineup build. It’s a bold move cotton, lets see if it pays off. Don’t take lightly.
Chris Tremain ($12,500) Season Average: 34.20pts 3-Game Average: 17.00pts
Tremain is being helped immensely by a sensational 117pt effort in Perth and were it not for that score, he’d be rocking a 13pt four-game average not his far more respectable 34pt five-game average. His role in the side is constantly in jeopardy and it will be interesting to see if they opt for Wildermuth here instead of Tremain. If he does play he could be dragged out of the attack or share his overs with Tom Cooper if his first over fails to impress. Won’t find this easy.
Harry Gurney ($14,800) Season Average: 37.80pts 3-Game Average: 44.30pts
Got a bonus junk wicket at the end of the Sixers game on Friday to finish on 20pts. Just not fast enough to cause trouble and gets farmed far too easily. Is effective if the batsmen are under intense run rate pressure because he does have good control but with the pitch improving it’s a hard ask to pay up for Gurney here. Lacks appeal.
Jack Wildermuth ($8,600) Season Average: 30.00pts 3-Game Average: 10.00pts
Watch final teams because Wildermuth may sneak in ahead of Tremain. Likes Marvel and can add a little bit of power hitting to the end of the innings as well. Probably the cheapy play of the game if he sneaks into the final XI. Suited here.
Jon Holland ($8,000) Season Average: 00.00pts 3-Game Average: 00.00pts
As important to this DFS contest as Iceland is to NATO, Holland can be safely and quickly passed over. Not keen this race (or ever).
Melbourne Stars
Ben Dunk ($10,000) Season Average: 30.5pts 3-Game Average: 11.5pts
Normally you’d have a good look at an opener at the bargain price of 10k but in Dunk’s case you have to have the luck of a few gods on your side just to even consider him this afternoon. Looked on the crest of some form with a 62 in Perth and a 72 in Moe but that form went south very quickly. Be a very brave coach to expect big things from Dunk against Richardson (assuming he gets passed Tom Cooper’s first over) and Tremain. The other down side on Dunk is his batting position keeps his ownership much higher than his form dictates it should be. Faces tough essay.
Marcus Stoinis ($22,200) Season Average: 92.8pts 3-Game Average: 65.3pts
The average speaks for itself. I’d be shocked if Stoinis is not over 80% owned. Opens the batting and will get 2-4 overs with the ball. Fields in the hot spots. He is a true all-rounder and for mine his salary is a little cheaper than it should be. Coming off a 19pt semi final effort could scare a few away but that was an outlier. He also didn’t bowl in that game. His last game at Marvel returned 198pts and we haven’t even mentioned the eerily Benaud-esque price tag! Can confidently build around him having a big game. Looks the winner.
Peter Handscombe ($14,300) Season Average: 42.1pts 3-Game Average: 33.9pts
Played 8 games this BBL and his first-up 141pt effort is absolutely padding his stats here. Take that away and his 7-game average is 27pts. Last two games he has scored 35 runs at a decent enough clip but I suspect his salary is being kept up by his batting position and exposure not his form. I can see him coming in nice and early which will allow him to play some shots early but given how he jumped around the crease in Hobart on Thursday night taking old FootBrush is not exactly a safe selection. His price point does put him in POD status though given the amount of teams that will take the star allrounders and just fill the remaining spots with cheapies. Take on trust
Glen Maxwell ($18, 600) Season Average: 61.8pts 3-Game Average: 90.8pts
Plenty of people may bag Maxy but very few of those people are daily fantasy players. Maxwell is one of the rare players that is in the game every single ball in the field. That’s 20 overs of exposure before he picks up the bat. Averaging close to 2 catches per game, is always a runout chance and being captain he can bowl himself whenever he feels like. If Bird sits again Maxy will get his 1-2 overs so he can be sitting on 30-40pts before he bats. And can he bat. I expect Maxwell to be highly owned tonight despite the price tag, likely pushing 60% ownership. Go well.
Nick Maddinson ($9,800) Season Average: 21.20pts 3-Game Average: 18.70pts
Maddinson has frustrated owners for the last ten games, getting amazing exposure opportunities coming in with sometimes 10, 12 overs left to bat and just spudding it up at amazingly low ownership. His ownership may see a surge given he came in to bat at #4 against the Hurricanes. Sure it was a left-right combo thing, but if (when) Dunk goes early it is always going to be the case that Maddinson being elevated will achieve that. Has the class but is woefully out of form. A solid POD play for those chasing salary cap relief given his exposure but have a stress ball handy! Prefer others
Seb Gotch ($9,000) Season Average: 24.10pts 3-Game Average: 21.80pts
There are POD plays and then there is Sebastian Gotch. With Maddinson only slightly dearer and enjoying better batting exposure, coaches just aren’t getting to Gotch. 33 runs of 22 balls last start will bring a few over to the cause but given how the pitch at Marvel played on Friday it will be hard for coaches to get down to Gotch with confidence of much batting exposure. Likely to be sub 10% again which brings with it a good amount of appeal. Capable Type
Dwayne Bravo ($14,400) Season Average: 48.00pts 3-Game Average: 21.80pts
Not sure the self-described ‘hottest man alive’ would feel too toasty coming off a 4-game average of just 17pts but such are the confidence levels of D J Bravo that he doesn’t let pesky things like form or empirical data get in the way of his much more accurate feelings. My feelings on the subject are I’d be very circumspect about overpaying for a bowling all-rounder who bats #6 and serves up extremely hittable medium pace. To each their own though. Big stages are for the big players and they don’t come much bigger (just ask him) than Johnny Bravo. Not fancied (by those not named DJ Bravo).
Evan Gulbis ($8,000) Season Average: 15.00prs 3-Game Average: -3.30pts
Bowling all-rounder who doesn’t bowl and is likely batting #7 (if he plays). Don’t think we need to spend much time here. Has some value in a Renegades bowling stack so if you are taking Richardson, Christian, Finch etc then Gulbis makes some sense but with Gotch just 1k more I don’t see too many people risking this play. Kudos to those that do. No cheque here
Adam Zampa ($13,600) Season Average: 37.40pts 3-Game Average: 36.00pts
Very interestingly priced. At 13.6k I’m interested in these averages if I can bank on a 1/24 type game. A wicket and the lesser tier of economy bonus returns 44pts which could be a very safe, bankable return on this pitch at that price. With so many expensive guys to pay up for and so many cheap batting options, Zampa is a strong possibility to come in mid 20’s ownership which only heightens the appeal. 2/29 off 4 with one catch for 50pts last start at Marvel. One less run and its 74pts and a huge value game. Worth consideration
Daniel Worrall ($11,600) Season Average: 42.50pts 3-Game Average: 50.30pts
Dan Dan the finals man. Coming off a 113pt effort at 8k or whatever his price tag was, Worrall is likely to have a similar amount of fanciers go straight back to him here which causes me some slight concern – I am always wary of being with the field on an over-owned, inconsistent player. If his first over is solid he should return a nice 50+ score but if he gets smacked then Stoinis and Maxy will kick in. If Bird plays it just drags his appeal down even more. Liked how he came back on late for some value wickets too against the Hurricanes. Worrall is probably the best exponent of swing in the BBL and if he gets it right he will destroy the Renegades top order but it is still a coin-flip ‘if’. Even if he gets a wicket early, Harper is capable of denying him economy in one over. Has to be respected
Sandeep Lamichane ($15,700) Season Average: 55.00pts 3-Game Average: 44.70pts
Found himself in (san)deep dfs doodoo last start, returning a globe to coaches who shelled out the 16k for him. That scar will not have left them yet which does present opportunity to exploit some negative recency bias and jump on. With three big scores, three shockers and a middle of the road 50, Lamichane has been the epitome of rocks or diamonds and there are 2-3 batsmen in that renegades side who he can make look very silly if he gets the right shot at them. If he can avoid Cam White I’d give him a pretty good chance of bouncing back tonight in a nervy final where even the guns can be afraid to commit to dancing down to the spinners. Include in chances
Nick Larkin ($8,000) Season Average: 26.20pts 3-Game Average: 4.50pts
Baring an injury to a front line batsman I cant see Larkin getting picked ahead of Handscombe (or even Dunk) and playing. But as always monitor final teams just in case. If he plays he will bat top four and is well and truly in the cheapy conversation. Not in this (literally)
Jackson Bird ($11,200) Season Average: 42.30pts 3-Game Average: 22.00pts
Birdy is a big watch for mine, I can see his appeal at Marvel and with Gulbis not even being used with bat or ball, they may try and just attack the Renegades with as much quality bowling as they can. if he does play he will open the bowling but be wary that any over after his first will be dictated by his economy rate. Watch final teams.
BBL $10,000 RENEGADES V STARS
BBL