Australia’s biggest cricket fantasy game, KFC SuperCoach BBL is back for another season.
The excitement of Big Bash League (BBL) doesn’t stop at the boundary ropes; it spills over into the fantasy world with KFC SuperCoach.
Here, fans become managers, strategists, and selectors, curating their dream teams.
As the tournament nears, renowned KFC SuperCoach experts, Azza and Damo have joined forces to take you through how it all works.
In KFC SuperCoach BBL, you control your own team, have a $2 million salary cap, a side of 16 players to pick and games to win, whether they’re against your work colleagues or close friends.
In each BBL game, players that have been selected for your team will score points based on how they perform.
BBL SuperCoach is free to enter, and there are heaps of prizes to be won, including an overall prize of $25,000 and $500 (doubled to $1000 for SuperCoach Plus subscribers) for the winner of every round.
GETTING STARTED
Once you’ve signed up at supercoach.com.au, you need to select your team using your $2 million salary cap.
Your starting BBL SuperCoach team must consist of two wicketkeepers, seven batters and seven bowlers.
Some players are allowed to be selected in more than one position and are called “dual-position players” — more commonly referred to as DPPs.
They can be switched between positions at any point, provided you have another DPP to swap with (for example if you choose WKP-BAT Josh Philippe as a batter, he could swap with Ben McDermott if he was listed as a wicketkeeper).
Player salaries vary, with the cheapest players, often referred to as “rookies” or “cheapies” starting at $42,000, and the most expensive player, Jhye Richardson topping the charts at $247,000 — he would make more than 12 per cent of your entire salary cap.
At the conclusion of each match, players’ salaries will change depending on how they’ve performed.
Much like the stockmarket, you’ll want to buy, invest and sell wisely after every round.
A player will have a score they need to reach to maintain price or surpass to make money which is known as their break-even.
If they don’t reach their break-even, they will lose money.
If you are having trouble selecting your starting side, KFC SuperCoach BBL has a helpful auto-fill option which assists you complete your team with players from your favourite team and players commonly selected within the competition.
There is also the option to use the top-up menu, which allows you to select from one team — this could be an option if you’re playing casually due to Brisbane Heat’s round 1 triple.
THE PRE-SEASON
There’s still a few weeks before the start of the BBL SuperCoach season and up until the first match, you can change your side as often as you like.
After the first game, you can only change players that have yet to play in and out of your side in KFC SuperCoach’s rolling lockout.
If you’re still unsure who to select, or need a little bit more convincing, there’s some benefit in doing your own homework to find out a bit more about your players.
You can look at their recent form in competitions, both domestically and around the world
Player availability also plays a huge part in knowing who to select and when.
For example, you don’t want to select Melbourne Stars’ top draft pick Harry Brook, who has ruled himself out of BBL13.
The fixtures may seem complicated, but as long as you keep an eye on when a team is playing and how often in a round, you’ll be OK.
You’d be wise to grab a few more Heat players in round 1, as those players will have three opportunities to score, selection dependent of course.
It’s the same idea for double game weeks which follow.
If a team is on a bye, they do not play in that round.
The players for the team on the bye will not score points.
It’s usually a fair tactic to move these players on as part of your trade plans, but keep an eye on the fixture to tailor your trade plans to suit your team. If a team has a double after a bye, you might want to hold onto at least 1-2 players on your bench to plan ahead.
THE SEASON PROPER
As Round 1 approaches, you just need to ensure that your team has filled every position (two wicketkeepers, seven batters and seven bowlers), hasn’t exceeded the $2 million salary cap, and that you’ve selected a vice-captain and captain.
Then the fun begins and you start to watch your players score points based on real-world actions.
Below is a table to help you understand the scoring in BBL SuperCoach.
TRADING
Over the course of the season, you will have 26 trades to turn your side into the ultimate KFC SuperCoach powerhouse.
At the conclusion of each round, you’ll have a maximum of three trades to use, or four if you choose to active a trade boost.
Be wary, you only have the ability to use your trade boost TWICE, so save it unless you really need to use it.
If you’re unsure how to trade in and out of your side each round, you can call on the Trade Assist option if you’re a SuperCoach Plus member.
If you haven’t subscribed to SuperCoach Plus, it’s only $24.95 per year and you can use it across all four SuperCoach platforms to help gain exclusive insights — did somebody say Christmas present?
THE STRATEGY
There are so many different ways to play KFC SuperCoach BBL and so many strategies to employ, but here are some basics to get you started:
● Strive for equilibrium across batting and bowling. Avoid overspending on too many premium players while neglecting the rest of your side.
● Players who struggled with form or were injured last season might be extremely good value picks. Think Glenn Maxwell and D’Arcy Short.
● Think about potential match-ups not just for one round, but for the rounds ahead as well. A player might be in form, but could be facing a tough opening few rounds. Be sure to weigh up the fixture when considering your trades.
● Look into the “Vice-captaincy loophole” strategy, which could give you another chance at double points … wink wink. It’s not as difficult as some may think. Put your VC on a player who plays early in a round and if you want their score, put your C on someone who isn’t playing (such as a bye player). That was the VC score gets doubled. If your VC fails, you can still use your captaincy on someone playing later in the round and bank double points.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Sign up to SuperCoach BBL today if you haven’t already, and splurge on the SuperCoach Plus option to give you access to expert insights, articles, statistics and more to help you get that winning edge.
You have unlimited trades until the end of Round 1 (although players lock out from the scheduled start time of their matches), so change your side as often as you like as you research the best players.
And lastly, have fun!
Follow Azza (@azzajewell) and Damo (@DamoSC) on Twitter/X.
Damo also features on YouTube as SuperCoachDamo.