Last Updated on 7 years by Charbel Coorey
One of the best T20 leagues in the world, and arguably the best sporting competition in Australia, is here.
Edition seven of the Big Bash is off and running, and already promises to be another exciting season. A nice change from the ongoing one-sided Ashes series, can the Perth Scorchers go back-to-back and pick up their fourth title? Who will be the surprise package – what can the Melbourne Renegades achieve this season? Can Sydney Thunder make a big improvement after finishing bottom last season?
In T20 cricket, anything can happen and the unpredictability of the BBL is what makes it so exciting. Making predictions about a competition like this is a challenge, but thought I’d give it a go.
Here are my six big predictions for BBL07:
Leading wicket taker – Rashid Khan (Adelaide Strikers)
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| Rashid Khan has been super impressive in T20 leagues around the world |
Leading run scorer – Kevin Pietersen (Melbourne Stars)
This a really tough one, with the likes of Brendon McCullum, Ben Dunk, Aaron Finch, Jason Roy, Glenn Maxwell, Jos Buttler, Moises Henriques and Michael Klinger all in the running for a big season.
Chris Lynn is one of the likeliest candidates and I was thinking really hard about what he can do this season. But, he is coming back from a serious shoulder injury which gives me doubt about his impact. He is a superstar though, and has won countless matches for the Brisbane Heat, including an incredible win from the dead against Sydney Thunder last season. He is one of the cleanest hitters of the ball going around and is very hard to stop when he gets going.
I will go with the man who is still good enough to be playing for England – KP. Even though he has played only two T20s since February, Kevin Pietersen has the ability to help the Stars go all the way this season. One of the Stars’ key batsmen, even more so when Glenn Maxwell goes on international duty for Australia, KP can either set up an innings or explode towards the end. It’s a big call to say a 37 year old will be the top run-scorer, but KP is a one-of-a-kind player.
One positive is that we will no longer have KP in commentary for the Ashes, even though we’ll probably see him in commentary throughout the Big Bash (damn).
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| Kevin Pietersen is still a class player. |
Surprise team
In previous seasons, Melbourne Renegades have been one of those mid-table teams that don’t go too far. However, they have a team that can trouble teams in BBL07.
The Renegades team consists of plenty of experience, and will be competitive in most, if not all, of their games. Aaron Finch is a proven limited overs international player, and with the likes of Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg and Cameron White, the Renegades possess plenty of cricket know-how. Tim Ludeman is also a prized scalp from Adelaide, and with international players Dwayne Bravo, Mohammad Nabi, and Kieron Pollard, Melbourne Renegades possess a pretty well-rounded squad and will surprise quite a few people.
How far they can go will also depend on how their bowling goes, which has been a real weak spot in recent seasons.
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| Melbourne Renegades have a decent squad this season |
Bottom team
their batting line up is really thin on experience. They have been touted as a team who are in the “progression” phase.
Winners
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| Perth Scorchers are well equipped to go back-to-back |
Big Bash will have a disappointing end
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| A crowd unworthy of a semi final – Melbourne Stars v Hobart 2014 |
