- A disappointing performance from the Scorchers saw them concede top spot to the Strikers, taking just two wickets and leaking 174 runs. Rare failures from openers Klinger and Marsh and a weak display from the middle order meant that they collapsed to 138 all out in reply.
- The Strikers put in a solid all-round performance here to beat the Scorchers for a second time this season, with Jayawaedene smashing a 37-ball 57 opening the batting, backed up by Travis Head, 51* (31), and Brad Hodge, 30* (15), who went big at the end after a slight stutter in the middle overs.
- This was a tough game for me personally, as Aston Agar bowled just two overs, and picked up one of the wickets, beating Behrendorff to to wicket taker, and failures by the Perth openers meant this was a bit of a washout. Taking overs on the Strikers early on, and buying Travis Head's runs in-play meant that I finished flat for the game.
- This Strikers batting looks very solid with Jayawardene opening and Head and Hodge coming in to accelerate in the middle order, and I'll be looking to keep them onside in their upcoming games.
The Strikers play the Heat at the Gabba on 8th Jan
- A comprehensive performance from the Renegades, restricting the Hurricanes to just 140 and chasing this down with six overs to spare.
- The Hurricanes top order struggled here, with three of the top five scoring five runs between them. A quick fire 58 from pinch hitter Dan Christian batting at six got the Hurricanes to a respectable total, but the power of the Renegades batting line up proved too much for the Hurricanes bowlers. With the fragility of the Hurricanes top order, a small back of Christian for top run scorer could be worthwhile.
- Finch again outscored his opening partner Gayle, but given the upcoming white ball internationals for Australia and Gayle's injudicious comments during his pre-match interview this could be the last time we see these two batting together this BBL. Hopefully not, and we get another chance to back Finch to beat Gayle in the head-to-head.
- Cam White didn't get much of a chance to challenge for top run scorer, but looked solid yet again scoring an unbeaten 15 to close out the game.
The Hurricanes play the Stars at the MCG on 6th Jan
The Renegades host the Stars in the second Melbourne derby at Docklands stadium on 9th Jan
- Chris Lynn carried the Heat to an impressive victory here, scoring a 32-ball 75 in chasing down 186 with three balls to spare in a rain-affected game.
- The Thunder, despite making what should have been a definable score of 186, were put under pressure from ball one by the Heat, and struggled to cope. The 16th over proved the crucial one, with Grinder Sandhu serving up some pies, all right in the slot, and being taken for 25 from the over.
- Kallis failed to cover his run line again, making 14. His unders is a bet that will win a lot more than it looses this BBL, and well worth taking every time.
- The Heat's batting finally turned in a performance with the top three all scoring over 34. Chris Lynn was again the star, and backing him at top Heat run scorer would have landed in four of their five games, and with the poor performances of those around him, is a play that should continue to make money.
The Heat host the Strikers at the Gabba on 8th Jan
- Another clinical performance from the Scorchers saw them restrict the Sixers to just 112 from their 20 overs, chasing this down within 15 overs for the loss of just one wicket.
- The only Sixers batsman to look remotely comfortable was Michael Lumb, who made 47 on 45 balls, and covered the overs line tipped in my preview within the first five overs. Lumb has quietly had a very good tournament so far, scoring 34, 4, 63, 15, 31 and 47, covering his run line in 4 of 6 (66.6%) innings. With little batting around him, backing Lumb for Top Batsman in the Sixers upcoming games, and to cover his run line should have a positive expectancy.
- The Scorchers were excellent all over the park today, with three strike bowlers getting wickets, Willey leading the pack with 3/22, AJ Tye 2/22 and Behrendorff 2/24. Dutching Behrendorff and Tye for top bowler at 2.12 was a bad beat, with Nic Maddinson lollypopping a simple catch off Willeys bowling to gift him a wicket.
- Lumping on the Scorchers in their upcoming games will make you plenty, they're in excellent form. They're still available at 3.6 to win the competition, and anyone backing them at 6 before the tournament, as tipped in my preview, is sitting very pretty on this.
The Scorchers visit the Adelaide Oval to take on the Strikers on 5th Jan
The Sixers play the Heat at the SCG on 10th Jan
- An unbeaten 63-ball 109 from Luke Wright saw the Stars chase 161 with five and a half overs to spare to clinch the Melbourne derby in front of a crowd of 80,000.
- Having had a poor tournament so far, Wrights innings was fairly costly for me, as I was on his unders, and back Stoinis in the Batsman Match market. No major damage, and the chasing-bias flagged up in my preview meant I more than made up for it trading the Match Odds market.
- The Renegades would have hoped to have made a lot more than 161, but wickets at regular intervals cost them, as did losing two set bats going into the last 4 overs. This wasn't a great batting performance against what was a fairly average Stars bowling attack.
- Cam White made 54 from 39 balls, claiming top Renegades bat, having looked good throughout the tournament without converting this into runs. With the stellar names in the Renegades side, he's often overpriced in the Top Runscorer market, and is worth backing in future.
- Another bet I like is the Batsman Match Market with Bet365, who had Aaron Finch as underdog against Chris Gayle. In the four Renegades games so far, Finch has outscored Gayle on three occasions, and for me this should be the other way around, and I'll happily take this value in future games.
The Stars host the Hurricanes on 6th Jan at the MCG
The Renegades visit Hobart to take on the Hurricanes on 4th Jan
- A solid all-round batting display from the Hurricanes, making 163 with contributions of 15+ from all but one of their seven batsmen to face a ball, and a 29-ball 56 from skipper George Bailey. The Thunder couldn't match this, despite getting into a good position during the chase, and the Hurricanes won by 11.
- A good example of how ground history can help in betting, with very few successful chases at Hobart in the previous games played here indicating that opposing the Thunder could pay off. They were available to lay at sub-1.2 at points during the chase.
- The Thunder's unbeaten start to the tournament, winning three of three, has come to an end, and with tougher fixtures coming up, they could continue to struggle. Their batting here was poor, despite Mike Hussey getting them into a position where they really should have won, and being incapable of closing out the game is not a good sign.
- Jacques Kallis scored a 4-ball duck here, and with scores so far of 15, 9, 49* and 0, I do like talking him on and backing unders on his run-line, as I think he's past his prime.
The Thunder visit the Gabba to take on the Heat on 3rd Jan
- A century from Travis Head saw the Strikers chase down 177 with three balls to spare after the Sixers looked home and hosed, defending 51 from the last three overs.
- Sean Abbot was the weak link in the Sixers attach, conceding 27 from the 18th over including five boundaries. The rest of the Sixers attack was fairly passable, but Abbot served up hit-able filth to Head, who smashed it to all parts.
- This was after a similarly poor bowling display from the Strikers seamers, who couldn't contain the Sixers despite picking up regular wickets.
- This game underlines why betting on these sides is difficult, as they're both very unpredictable, and can be anywhere between amazing and awful, often in the same game. Keep stakes small and green up wherever possible would be my advice for their upcoming games.
The Sixers visit the Scorchers at the WACA on 2nd Jan
- A comprehensive win from the Scorchers, chasing down 171 without losing a wicket with an unbeaten 90 from an in-form Michael Klinger, and 76 from Shaun Marsh.
- The Renegades top order fired here, with openers Aaron Finch and Chris Gayle scoring 72 and 41 respectively, in a very respectable 170.
- Another poor showing from the Renegades bowlers, however, saw the Scorchers openers knock off the 171 required for the win within 19 overs. Michael Klinger is in a rich vein of form, and anyone who follows me on twitter would have seen I had backed his overs, which landed before the end of the power play. A bad day to not to be a spread-bettor...
- The Scorchers have hit their straps after an opening-day defeat to the Heat, and look set to challenge for the title here. The Scorchers lost their opening game last year, but that was the only game they did lose, and a repeat of this in BBL05 would not be surprising here.
The Renegades play the Stars at the MCG on 2nd Dec
The Scorchers host the Sixers at the WACA in the second game of the double-header on the 2nd
- A high-scoring affair between two of the worst sides in the tournament, with the Hurricanes' 194 big enough to defend, despite a 50-ball hundred from Heat skipper Chris Lynn.
- A solid all-round batting display from the Hurricanes, with all of their top five making 25 or more, and Dan Christian finishing off the innings with some immense power hitting, making 56 from 24 balls.
- Failures from both the Heat's openers against a fairly mediocre bowling side, based on this I'll be looking to back unders on both of their run lines in future games, as Pierson looks out of his depth and Lendl Simmons is still on the plane.
The Hurricanes take on the Thunder on 1st Jan at Hobart
The Heat play the Thunder on 3rd Jan at The Gabba
- A solid win for the Thunder, who have put last season's disappointment behind them, restricting the Strikers to just 117 and chasing down for the loss of 3 wickets in 16.5 overs.
- Andre Russell was the star of the show yet again, taking two wickets and making 17 runs. Backing overs on his player performance points, when the line is around 40.5, is looking like a solid money-maker this season, as he will bowl 4 overs every game and contribute with the bat as well. Kallis seems to have hit his straps as well after a slow start, bowling well and steering the chase home.
- The Strikers put in a poor performance today, with very few meaningful contributions with the bat, and poor management of the bowlers from captain Brad Hodge. Last seasons reliability seems to have gone, and inconsistency is the theme this year, making them a difficult side to bet on.
The Thunder play the Hurricanes on 1st Jan at Hobart
- A solid win for the Stars, restricting the Sixers to 139 despite some middle-order resistance from Henriques and Silk, and chasing down with eight balls and five wickets to spare.
- Brad Haddin scored just 2, making backing his unders run line, something I've discussed in every Sixers review here, look more and more like an absolute banker this tournament.
- Glenn Maxwell made 50 for the Stars in a return to form, accompanied by a 50 from Peter Hanscome and an unbeaten 24 from skipper David Hussey. With their middle-order firing like this, the Stars are looking strong, although I have my doubts about the quality of the Sixers, and will be watching their next game closely.
- Luke Wright seems to be playing a similar role to Brad Haddin, going hard at the top of the order, an is yet to get out of the teens this tournament. Again, taking his unders run line looks like a good bet for Stars games.
The Stars host the Renegades at the MCG on 2nd Jan
- An impressive performance from the Scorchers, restricting the Heat to just 117 before chasing them down for the loss of just one wicket. Following their initial defeat against the Strikers, this was a convincing win for a side I expect to challenge for the title.
- Three wickets for Andrew Tye, and two for Behrendorff on return form injury in what was a terrible batting performance from the Heat, bar skipper Chris Lynn, who scored an unbeaten 75. Lynn's overs are worth looking at in every Heat innings, and on this performance backing him for top batsman every game should be a money-maker.
- Michael Klinger carried his bat for 53 in the chase, and looks to be in his usual excellent form for the Scorchers. Backing his overs run line should prove profitable, particularly against weaker bowling attacks.
The Heat take on the Hurricanes on the 29th at the Gabba
- Sixers chase down 172 to beat the Renegades, underlining how thin the Renegades bowling is, and how much I underestimated the Sixers.
- The Renegades batting was fairly solid, but slowed up towards the middle of the innings before Tom Beaton smashed 41 off 23 balls at the death to put on what looked like a defendable total.
- Dwayne Bravo's player performance line was 35.5. For me this was far too low, given that he bats at five and bowls a full quota. His 45 from 29 balls covered this line with room to spare before he'd bowled a ball, and a similar line in the Renegades next game would be something I'd be piling into.
- Another play that should bear fruit over the course of the tournament is unders on Brad Haddin's run line. Haddin's been given free reign to free his arms from ball one by the Sixers, and should have been out on two of his three ball one's so far, nicking off today and surviving a plumb LBW in game one. With this approach against decent bowling attacks, Haddin will be doing very well to cover 25+ runs more often than not.
- The Renegades bowling struggles here indicate that defending totals will be a real problem for them, and I'll be looking for a way to oppose them in similar situations going forwards, having been burned a little here backing them to defend.
The Renegades take on the defending champions the Scorchers at the Emirates on Dec 30th.
The Sixers host the Stars at the SCG on 27th Dec.
- A much-improved showing from the Hurricanes top order on a belter of a pitch saw them put on 184 for the loss of just three wickets, including 87 from 58 balls from skipper Tim Paine, and 40s from Sangakkara and Bailey.
- This firms up my belief that the Heat have comfortably the worst bowling attack in the BBL, and their batting is not much better, particularly at 3, 4 and 5. I'll be opposing them as much as possible going forwards, as they'll be lucky to win a game this year. Their next game against Perth could be carnage.
- Hobart weren't really tested here, and I'm hoping that the market overestimates them in their upcoming games, as I think they're fairly poor as well, and will struggle to match the other sides in the competition.
The Hurricanes play the Heat in their next game on 29th Dec at the Gabba
The Heat face a daunting trip to the WACA to face defending champs the Scorchers on Boxing day
- A disappointing start to the campaign from the Scorchers, limping to 151 having been in a strong position and then failing to defend. Conversely, a strong showing from an underrated Strikers side.
- As with the Stars, the market strongly overvalued Perth's chances throughout the game due to their reputation as excellent defenders of low totals. With Nathan Coulter-Nile dislocating his shoulder fielding here, and Jason Behrendorff out injured, this reputation is probably unjustified, and going against it could prove a good money-maker, as it was today. Perth started last season in almost identical fashion, before putting together a string of wins, so look for them to bounce back against a weak Heat side next up.
- Like last season, Adelaide seem to be quietly a very strong side, and I'll be looking for opportunities to back them going forwards.
The Scorchers take on the Heat on Boxing day at the WACA
- A much-improved Sixers performance after their disappointing turnout against the Thunder in match one, putting on a big score and defending comfortably, bowling the Hurricanes out for just 91.
- Most of the Sixers top order contributed here in what was a strong batting display led by Brad Haddin, although this was against what is probably the weakest bowling attack in the BBL.
- The only contribution from Hobart's batting was captain George Bailey's 62 from 45 balls, with 7 extras, the next highest score was 5. All in all a woeful display from the Hurricanes. Backing Bailey's overs run line could be a good earner this tournament.
The Hurricanes take on the Heat at Hobart with both sides looking to bounce back from poor starts on the 22nd
- Usman Khawaja's century on return from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the conclusion of the New Zealand test series set up the Thunder for an impressive win.
- The Stars were again overvalued by the market for the majority of the game, offering excellent trading opportunities. Luke Wright at the top of the order looked to knock every ball out of the park, which seems to be his role in the side. I'll be looking for opportunities to take unders on his run line when the better bowlers come on, as with Russell today.
- Old-timers KP and Jacques Kallis proved they've still got it, KP smashing the ball to all parts, whilst calling it all live on the mic with the comms team, and Kallis defending 10 off the last over with the ball. Kallis scored just 9 with the bat, and looks to be a contender for going under on his run lines.
- Dre-Russ smashed through his Player Performance line again, and backing overs on this every game should have a massive positive expectancy as long as the line stays around the 40.5 mark.
The Stars play the Sixers on Dec 27th at the SCG
- After setting what should have been a total they could defend quite comfortably, the Heat ended up letting the Renegades off the hook after getting them under pressure during the chase.
- Poor captaincy was an issue here, with Chris Lynn taking off Badree who had bowled two overs for just 7 and bringing on seamers, with the next three overs going for 10, 10 and 17.
- The Heat's batting looked strong, with Ben Cutting smashing vital runs down the order. With him coming in late on, his run line might be on the low side, and backing his overs should be a money-maker.
- For all the Renegades big names, Cam White to me looked their strongest bat. Chris Gayle struggled with the short ball, and most sides should pepper him with some chin music on these bouncy Australian pitches, so he could struggle with that. With White's quality, he'll be another player I'll be looking to take overs on his run lines, or buy his runs.
- Overall, the Heat look better than last season, but their bowling was quite poor, and choked under pressure. If they find themselves in a similar situation again, I'll certainly be opposing them, especially if Badree has bowled out.
- Similarly to last years competition, the Stars were overrated by the market, and were too short for most of the game. No side had chased a score as big as Adelaide's at this ground, and if the Stars were defending I'd expect them to be priced around 1.4-1.5, where the Strikers were 1.6-1.7. Given this, and the fact their next opposition the Thunder were fairly underrated in their last game, taking on the Stars could be a good strategy.
- As expected, the Strikers were fairly solid. Despite losing three early wickets, veteran Brad Hodge and Alex Ross shored up the middle order, putting on a 110 run partnership. Ross was in great touch, and getting on his run lines in the next game will be something I'll look at.
The Stars play this Sunday, 20th Dec, taking on the Thunder at the MCG
The Strikers play defending champions the Scorchers at the WACA on the 21st Dec
- First thing to note from this game was how poor the Sixers were. Missing Starc, Smith, Lee, etc from last season, they struggled to compete against the Thunder, who have improved from last seasons poor showing. Opposing the Sixers going forward should be a good strategy.
- In terms of players, Nick Maddinson for the Sixers looked very out of touch with the bat, and perhaps the pressure of captaincy is taking it's toll. I'll be looking to back under in his run line going forwards. I'll be taking a similar approach with Brad Haddin, who was plumb LBW first ball of the innings but not given, and stated afterwards that his job is to get the innings off to a flyer. Hopefully he'll carry on swinging from ball one, and will end up giving his wicket away cheaply.
- For the Thunder, playing unders on Kallis' run line might also be a goer, as he generally scores quite slowly nowadays. Andre Russell, or Dre-Russ as he apparently likes to be known, was not given much of a chance with the bat, facing just 5 balls, but picked up 3 wickets for 13 with the ball, bowling with some good pace and bounce. Most of Cricket Twitter were on his Player Performance Points at over 19.5 with Bet365, which was misquoted and adjusted to 40.5. He ended up beating this line easily, and if we see similar again in the next game I'll be steaming in on the overs.
The Sixers play the Hurricanes on Sunday 20th Dec. at the SCG
The Thunder also play on Sunday, taking on the Stars at the MCG
