The following is a preview with betting tips for the 2016/17 Big Bash League (BBL) season.
The BBL is Australia’s top domestic Twenty20 cricket competition. The 2016-17 Big Bash League season runs from December 20, 2016 until January 28, 2017. Learn more about the Big Bash League.
If you haven’t done so already, be sure to check out our survey of Big Bash League betting resources.
Key league statistics
- Home advantage isn’t important. Since the BBL began the home team has only won 46.15% of all matches.
- Winning the toss is more important than home advantage. Since the competition began, the side that won the toss has won 53.25% of the non-abandoned matches.
- No team that topped the regular season standings has gone on to win the title. Since the 2011/12 season, the competition winners have finished 3rd, 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 4th in the regular season standings. Much of this is due to international commitments, with teams losing key players to the Australian ODI and other international sides late in the competition.
- There is no dominant strategy regarding whether a team should bat or field first. Teams that batted first have won 50.30% of the non-abandoned matches.
Adelaide Strikers
History:
- 2011–12 – 6th (2-5)
- 2012–13 – 5th (4-4)
- 2013–14 – 7th (2-1-5)
- 2014–15 – 1st (6-1-1), eliminated in the semi-finals
- 2015–16 – 1st (7-1), eliminated in the semi-finals
Squad:
Brad Hodge (Captain), Wes Agar, Alex Carey, Jono Dean, Travis Head, Jon Holland, Ben Laughlin, Jake Lehmann, Tim Ludeman, Michael Neser, Kieron Pollard, Adil Rashid, Kane Richardson, Craig Simmons, Kelvin Smith, Billy Stanlake, Jake Weatherald
The good:
- Topped the regular season standings in the previous two seasons
- West Indian all-rounder Kieron Pollard re-joins the squad
The bad:
- Have yet to win a knockout game despite hosting two of them
- Adil Rashid might not be available for the full season due to England commitments
- Travis Head could be called into the Australian team for the ODI series against Pakistan, which starts on January 13
- Alex Ross has jumped ship to Brisbane
- Jon Holland has been ruled out of the tournament with a heel injury
Brisbane Heat
History:
- 2011–12 – 5th (3-4)
- 2012–13 – 4th (4-4), title winners
- 2013–14 – 5th (3-5)
- 2014–15 – 8th (2-6)
- 2015–16 – 6th (3-5)
Squad:
Chris Lynn (Captain), Samuel Badree, Joe Burns, Ben Cutting, Alex Doolan, Andrew Fekete, Luke Feldman, Jason Floros, Sam Heazlett, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Lalor, Brendon McCullum, James Peirson, Nathan Reardon, Alex Ross, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, Jack Wildermuth
The good:
- Retain Chris Lynn, who was the BBL’s leading run scorer last season
- Brendan McCullum rejoins the squad after missing last season
- Strong batting line-up
The bad:
- Weak bowling attack
Hobart Hurricanes
History:
- 2011–12 – 2nd (5-2), eliminated in the semi-finals
- 2012–13 – 6th (4-4)
- 2013–14 – 4th (3-1-4), eliminated in the final
- 2014–15 – 5th (3-5)
- 2015–16 – 7th (3-5)
Squad:
George Bailey, Cameron Boyce, Stuart Broad, Dan Christian, Hamish Kingston, Ben McDermott, Dom Michael, Simon Milenko, Tim Paine, Sam Rainbird, Jake Reed, Clive Rose, Kumar Sangakkara, Shaun Tait, Jonathan Wells
The good:
- Have signed Stuart Broad
The bad:
- Will likely lose George Bailey for the Australian ODI series against Pakistan
Melbourne Renegades
History:
- 2011–12 – 7th (2-5)
- 2012–13 – 1st (7-1), eliminated in the semi-finals
- 2013–14 – 6th (3-5)
- 2014–15 – 6th (3-5)
- 2015–16 – 5th (3-5)
Squad:
Aaron Finch (Captain), Dwayne Bravo, Tom Beaton, Tom Cooper, Xavier Doherty, Callum Ferguson, Marcus Harris, Brad Hogg, Sunil Narine, Peter Nevill, James Pattinson, Nathan Rimmington, Peter Siddle, Chris Tremain, Matthew Wade, Guy Walker, Cameron White, Nick Winter
The good:
- Have lured experienced campaigner Brad Hogg away from the Perth Scorchers
- Have signed the highly rated T20 bowler Sunil Narine
- Look a more balanced side this year due to the signing of the above bowlers
The bad:
- No Chris Gayle this season
- Aaron Finch might be called into the Australian ODI side in mid-January if he can show some good form
- Matthew Wade is currently in the Australian Test side
Melbourne Stars
History:
- 2011–12 – 4th (4-3), eliminated in the semi-finals
- 2012–13 – 3rd (5-3), eliminated in the semi-finals
- 2013–14 – 1st (8-0), eliminated in the semi-finals
- 2014–15 – 3rd (5-3), eliminated in the semi-finals
- 2015–16 – 2nd (5-3), eliminated in the final
Squad:
David Hussey (Captain), Michael Beer, Scott Boland, James Faulkner, Seb Gotch, Evan Gulbis, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, John Hastings, Ben Hilfenhaus, Glenn Maxwell, Kevin Pietersen, Rob Quiney, Marcus Stoinis, Tom Triffit, Daniel Worrall, Luke Wright, Adam Zampa
The good:
- Highly consistent, finishing in the top 4 in every season of the BBL thus far
- Strong squad with a lot of international experience
The bad:
- Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner and Adam Zampa all a chance of joining the Australian ODI squad on January 13
- Peter Handscomb is currently in the Australian Test squad
Perth Scorchers
History:
- 2011–12 – 1st (5-2), eliminated in the final
- 2012–13 – 2nd (5-3), eliminated in the final
- 2013–14 – 3rd (5-3), title winners
- 2014–15 – 2nd (5-2), title winners
- 2015–16 – 3rd (5-3), eliminated in the semi-finals
Squad:
Adam Voges (Captain), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Ian Bell, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mitchell Johnson, Michael Klinger, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, James Muirhead, Joel Paris, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Sam Whiteman, David Willey
The good:
- Incredibly consistent, finishing no less than 3rd in the regular season standings and making 4 of the 5 BBL finals
- Ian Bell and Mitchell Johnson join the squad this season
- Retain a strong battling line-up
The bad:
- Brad Hogg has left for the Melbourne Renegades
- Nathan Coulter-Nile and Jason Behrendorff have injuries
- David Willey will likely depart mid-season due to England commitments
- Mitchell Marsh and Shaun Marsh might be called into the Australian ODI squad for the series against Pakistan, which starts on January 13
Sydney Sixers
History:
- 2011–12 – 3rd (5-2), title winners
- 2012–13 – 7th (3-5)
- 2013–14 – 2nd (6-2), eliminated in the semi-finals
- 2014–15 – 4th (5-3), eliminated in the final
- 2015–16 – 8th (2-6)
Squad:
Moises Henriques (Captain), Sean Abbott, Sam Billings, Jackson Bird, Doug Bollinger, Johan Botha, Ryan Carters, Ben Dwarshuis, Brad Haddin, Josh Hazlewood, Daniel Hughes, Nic Maddinson, Joe Mennie, Nathan Lyon, Steve O’Keefe, Jason Roy, Jordan Silk, Mitch Starc
The good:
- Have signed England batsmen Jason Roy and Sam Billings
- Would be formidable opponents if they had access to their full squad
The bad:
- Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood’s contributions will be extremely limited due to the Test and ODI series against Pakistan
- Nic Maddinson, Nathan Lyon and Jackson Bird are currently in the Australian Test squad
- Jason Roy and Sam Billings will likely depart mid-season due to England commitments
Sydney Thunder
History:
- 2011–12 – 8th (2-5)
- 2012–13 – 8th (0-8)
- 2013–14 – 8th (1-7)
- 2014–15 – 6th (3-5)
- 2015–16 – 4th (4-4), title winners
Squad:
Shane Watson (Captain), Fawad Ahmed, Aiden Blizzard, Pat Cummins, Jake Doran, Ryan Gibson, Chris Green, Usman Khawaja, Nathan McAndrew, Alister McDermott, Clint McKay, Arjun Nair, Kurtis Patterson, Ben Rohrer, Andre Russell, Gurinder Sandhu, Jason Sangha
The good:
- Should be high on confidence as the reigning champions
The bad:
- Veterans Michael Hussey and Jacques Kallis have departed
- Usman Khawaja is currently in the Australian Test team and may also feature in the ODI series against Pakistan, so he will feature little if at all for the Thunder
- Shane Watson is set to miss the start of the season with a calf injury
- Eoin Morgan won’t feature for the entire season due to England commitments
Conclusions
- The Adelaide Strikers should be competitive, but key mid-season departures due to international duties may hurt their chances in the knock-outs
- The Brisbane Heat will likely be involved in some entertaining, high scoring games due to their strong batting line-up and weak bowling attack
- The Hobart Hurricanes don’t look particularly strong on paper
- The Melbourne Renegades looked more balanced this season with their bowling acquisitions, in particular Sunil Narine. They won’t be hit as hard by international duties as some other squads so they have a genuine chance of making the knock-out stage again after a three-year absence with three consecutive 3-5 seasons. The departure of Chris Gayle is a big blow, however.
- The Melbourne Stars should start the season strongly but may fade if they lose talent to the Australian ODI side in mid January
- Like the Brisbane Heat, the Perth Scorchers will likely be involved in some entertaining, high scoring games due to their strong batting line-up and depleted bowling attack
- The Sydney Sixers should be worried about having squad members lined up for international duty. They will have to rely heavily on their understudies.
- The Sydney Thunder look to be long shots of retaining their title due to squad absentees and key departures
Betting Promotions
You can view the latest Big Bash League betting promotions in the Promotions section. Please note that this section isn’t available to NSW visitors.
Betting Tips
View the latest BBL head-to-head odds
View the latest BBL futures odds
The teams I would consider to be value picks at the prevailing odds are the Adelaide Strikers (9.00 at Sportsbet), Melbourne Renegades (6.00 at Palmerbet) and Melbourne Stars (6.00 at Betfair).
The teams I would stay clear of backing are the Hobart Hurricanes, Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder.
For top batsman I would consider someone who will likely play for the duration of the competition. Some names that come to mind are Chris Lynn (9.00 at William Hill) and Kevin Pietersen (11.00 at William Hill). Glenn Maxwell might be worth a punt (51.00 at William Hill) if you suspect he won’t make the Australian ODI side.
Some batsman I would avoid are Brendon McCullum (14.00) due indifferent form and Kumar Sangakkara (19.00) due to a terrible showing last season.
For top bowler I would back Sunil Narine (10.00 at Sportsbet), Andre Russell (12.00 at bet365) and Clint McKay (19.00 at bet365).
View our line-up of Big Bash League betting resources.