Squad Breakdown: Stars player-by-player analysis

Incredibly the Melbourne Stars remain winless in the Big Bash.



Stacked with a plethora of talent each and every season, they’ve claimed two first-placed regular season finishes and three runner-up mantles.



They’ll be out to break the curse this season and again boast an explosive line-up filled with SuperCoach talent, perhaps the most of any side.



Adding further enticement to their squad will be the fact they have two double game weeks in Round 3 and Round 8, along with a bye wedged in between in Round 4.



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They have one more international signing to come, but the squad looks fairly settled for now and hopefully won’t be impacted too significantly by the Australia ‘A’ v England Lions clash.



Newest SC Playbook contributor and cricket whiz Max Bryden has done the hard yards to predict the starting XI of each team, I’ll be running my analysis off these forecasts.



Note that the starting XI’s will alter throughout the season as new signings land, form alters and injuries strike, we’ll do our best to update as the news drops.



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MARCUS STOINIS (BAT/BWL) // $163,200 // BBL10 SC Ave: 52.2



Fresh from the T20 World Cup, Big Stoin will be in the sights of many SuperCoaches from Round 1.



He starts cheap having bowled very few overs across 13 games last campaign.



He was very solid with the bat, averaging 33 with a strike-rate of 142.44.



Go back a season to the 2018/19 edition and getting on him early basically determined the overall rankings.



He averaged 53 with the bat that season and was absolutely relentless, leading to a SC average of 96.9 across 13 games.



He was also superb in 2019/20, averaging 54 with the bat, however fewer overs saw his SC average sit at 52.2.



It’s obvious that he doesn’t need to bowl to be considered, however if he does roll the arm over he’s basically a must-have.



For this reason the Round 1 team will be pivotal in getting an idea of whether or not he’ll bowl.



He’s bowled a few overs of late for Australia and the Capitals in the IPL, but he’s not been overly effective.



With the bat, he’s just belted 40* in the T20 World Cup semi, and his four innings prior in the tournament/warm up he scored 0, 16*, 24*, 41* and 28.



If he’s bowling I see him as highly under-priced to begin the season, so let’s monitor as we get closer.



JOE CLARKE (WKP/BAT) // $112,500 // BBL10 SC Ave: 36



Englishman Joe Clarke joins from the Scorchers for his second BBL stint.



He played just three games last season for a SC average of 36.



Wicket-keeping and opening the bat at a cheap rate makes him somewhat enticing.



He enters in form having knocked out a recent first-class ton in England.



His prior form in the Vitality Blast and The Hundred tournament is strong, producing returns of: 42, 27, 11, 0, 10 and 58.



Across 92 career T20s he averages 28.01 at the very impressive strike-rate of 155.62.



A couple of strong early knocks and his price could sky-rocket ahead of the Round 3 double where he’ll be very popular if in any decent form.



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GLENN MAXWELL (BAT/BWL) // $195,500 // BBL10 SC Ave: 62.6



Ah Maxi, the superstar of SuperCoach.



I’ll likely be starting with him from Round 1 and holding as a set-and-forget option for the season, although I’d hope he bats at three rather than four which he’s done so previously.



We know what he’s capable of with the bat, and last tournament he was a regular with the ball, delivering 29 overs.



He only took seven wickets, however his economy of 7.66 was handy.



He doesn’t always bowl 3+ overs to claim the economy rate bonus, but anytime he gets a trundle it’s immense for his SC scoring.



His recent SC averages are: 62.6, 64.6, 60.8 and 67.3.



That’s elite scoring in a very consistent manner.



He had five tonnes in 14 games last season, including four over 140, so he can burn you as a non-owner very quickly.



He’s bowled regularly for Australia at the T20 World Cup and his IPL form last season was sublime, averaging 42.75 with the willow.



Leave him out at your own peril…



JOE BURNS (BAT) // $91,100 // BBL10 SC Ave: 29.2



Burns will have some job security issues and I’m not overly keen on him even if batting at four.



He averaged an okay 22.50 last season, but he only produced a strike-rate of 124.13.



It’s that lack of explosiveness and ability to notch hefty strike-rate bonuses that forces me to overlook him.



His recent Shield and Marsh Cup form has been okay, making several starts without really capitalising on any.



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HILTON CARTWRIGHT (BAT) // $110,500 // BBL10 SC Ave: 35.4



Cartwright has glimpses of SuperCoach ability, but his role makes him hard to have.



He’ll likely bat at five and there’s uncertainty around whether or not he’ll bowl. I’m surprised he’s not listed as an all-rounder.



His recent Shield form has been excellent with a tonne back in September, and he’s also taken a few wickets to boot.



Not for me, but one to consider for the double should he start getting a few overs.



BEAU WEBSTER (BAT) // $100,800 // BBL10 SC Ave: 32.3



Batting at six it appears a little hard to genuinely consider Webster, especially with the talent above him in the order, however he’s yet another in this line-up who can bowl which would make him slightly intriguing at $100k.



It’s hard to know which of the many part-timers will be called upon for overs, but if it’s Webster he will be a viable pick for the Round 3 double.



Not for now, but let’s monitor the warm up games and first few rounds then reassess his role.



If he can bump up the order a little higher it’d be a massive boost for his SC credentials.



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NATHAN COULTER-NILE (BWL) // $189,900 // BBL10 SC Ave: 67.5



Coulter-Nile is an elite SC option that often gets overshadowed by his superstar teammates.



Don’t sleep on him as he can go very large and prove a serious POD play.



This was evidenced last season in Round 1 where he scored 169 in a single game! The Stars had the double but he missed the second fixture otherwise it could’ve been anything…



Injury restricted him to just six games where he took 11 wickets at an economy of 7.87.



Prior seasons produced SC averages of 48.4 and 60.9.



He’s a big hitter with the willow and often earns some valuable batting points when called upon for late innings cameos.



His most recent cricket came in the IPL where he produced best figures of 4/14 off four overs.



I’m enticed by him early on as a very sneaky super POD with huge upside. Do be aware though he can and will find an injury.



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ADAM ZAMPA (BWL) // $169,500 // BBL10 SC Ave: 54.3



Zampa is another I pegged as a massive early season POD on the first pre-season podcast.



Unfortunately, for SuperCoach purposes, he’s been outstanding at the T20 World Cup which will almost certainly sky-rocket him into plenty of teams for Round 1.



That being said, with no double till Round 3 and so many guns to squeeze into squads he’ll still be low enough ownership.



He took 19 wickets in 12 games last tournament with an economy of 7.35.



He’s been incredibly economical for Australia in the World Cup, and he’s a wicket-taking specialist, producing best figures of 5/19 against Bangladesh.



Previous BBL seasons produced SC averages of 64.3, 49.3 and 47.8.



I do think he’s evolved plenty as a short-form specialist in recent years, so I can see him comfortably averaging 60+ against this season.



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SAM RAINBIRD (BWL) // $97,300 // BBL10 SC Ave: 34.6



Rainbird faces a fair bit of competition for a role in the pace quartet at the Stars.



As such I think he’s hard to consider due to job security issues, even at the nice price tag.



He’s only recent top line cricket was one game in the Sheffield Shield where he took 2/80.



He played one game in the Marsh Cup in October for a return of 1/43.



Not for me, potentially if he’s secured a spot come the Round 3 double.



LIAM HATCHER (BWL) // $141,600 // BBL10 SC Ave: 45.3



In nine games last season Hatcher took 13 wickets at an economy of 8.88.



He’s pretty awkwardly priced, and while he can score well as evidenced by top scores of 95 and 82, I can’t consider him until at least the Round 3 double where he may loom as a POD.



He doesn’t have too much top line cricket behind him since last season, with his one Shield outing for NSW producing figures of 4/86 and 1/75.



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*QAIS AHMAD (BWL) // $125,000 // BBL10 SC Ave: N/A



*A recent statement released by the Stars declared Ahmad won’t be available until at least the third or fourth game due to his commitment to the T10 League in Abu Dhabi.



For the sake of SuperCoach let’s hope it’s game three which would make him available for the full Round 3 double.



He played in the 2019/20 BBL tournament, notching 15 games for a SC average of 37.9 (including a -1 which significantly impacted his average).



He opened that tournament with a 180 point monster score.



The Afghan leggie has played his recent cricket in England’s Vitality Blast and the Hundred tournament.



He’s taken 10 wickets in 10 games and has been very economical in the process.



In 87 career T20s he has 95 wickets at an economy of 7.09.



A just 21-years-old he’s a very progressive spinner and will be a massive watch at some stage of the tournament.



OTHERS



CLINT HINCHLIFFE (BAT/BWL) // $63,300



NICK LARKIN (BAT) // $112,500



TOM O’CONNELL (BWL) // $62,500



BRODY COUCH (BWL) // $42,500



SYED FARIDOUN (BWL) // $62,500

Squad Breakdown: Stars player-by-player analysis

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